Mass. breaks from feds in its new vaccine guidelines

""Secretary Kennedy's rollback of long-standing federal vaccine recommendations creates confusion for parents and providers and erodes trust," Healey said in a statement. "Our message to families is simple: we will continue to stand behind science and preserve access to the vaccines children need to stay healthy.""

""The decision to change CDC's childhood immunization schedule is reckless and deeply dangerous," state Public Health Commissioner Robbie Goldstein said. "It replaces decades of transparent, evidence-based guidance with uncertainty." "At a time when we are seeing measles outbreaks across the country, a resurgence of whooping cough, and a severe respiratory virus season - including pediatric deaths from diseases that are preventable - this action puts families in an impossible position and places children and communities at risk," he continued."

Massachusetts will not adopt the CDC's newly updated childhood vaccination guidelines and will issue evidence-based recommendations through the state Department of Public Health aligned with the American Academy of Pediatrics. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary directed the CDC to reduce routine childhood vaccine recommendations. On Jan. 5, the acting CDC director signed a decision removing several vaccines from routine recommendations and shifting them to children deemed "high-risk," including hepatitis A and B, influenza, rotavirus, COVID-19, meningococcal disease, and RSV. State officials called the CDC change reckless and dangerous and cited recent measles and whooping cough outbreaks and pediatric respiratory deaths. Legislation signed last year grants the state authority to set independent vaccine standards.

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