Alarms raised as Trump's CDC cuts number of suggested vaccines for children

"Monday's sweeping decision, which advances the agenda of Trump-appointed Secretary of Health Robert F Kennedy Jr, removes the recommendation for rotavirus, influenza, meningococcal disease and hepatitis A vaccines for children. list of 3 itemsend of list It comes as US vaccination rates have been slipping, and the rates of diseases that can be protected against with vaccines, such as measles and whooping cough, are rising across the country, according to government data."

"Vaccination policy has long been guided by a rigorous, transparent scientific process grounded in decades of evidence showing that vaccines are safe, effective, and lifesaving, Sandra Adamson Fryhofer, a doctor and AMA trustee, said in a statement posted on the group's website. She pointed out that major policy changes needed careful review and transparency, which are lacking in the CDD's decision. When longstanding recommendations are altered without a robust, evidence-based process, it undermines public trust and puts children at unnecessary risk, she said."

Under President Trump, the CDC cut recommendations for several childhood vaccines, removing rotavirus, influenza, meningococcal disease and hepatitis A from the recommended schedule. The change was approved by Trump-appointed Secretary of Health Robert F. Kennedy Jr and implemented immediately after approval by CDC acting director Jim O'Neill without the agency's usual outside expert review. Vaccination rates in the US have been slipping while measles and whooping cough cases are rising. The American Medical Association and other leading medical groups expressed deep concern, citing a lack of rigorous, transparent, evidence-based review and warning the change could undermine public trust and increase preventable disease risk.

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