"Undermining confidence in vaccines will lead to lower vaccination rates and more infectious disease, California Attorney General Rob Bonta said Tuesday in a statement. It will also drive up costs for states, including increased Medicaid spending and new expenses to combat misinformation and revise public health guidance."
"Over the past year, Kennedy dramatically reshaped a key US advisory panel to incorporate vaccine skeptics, then later oversaw changes to the national immunization schedule that pared back the number of shots recommended for America's children."
"The Department of Health and Human Services defended the moves, saying the revised shot schedule protects children from serious diseases and is in line with international standards. The agency will work with states and clinicians to ensure families have clear, accurate information to make their own informed decisions."
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has restructured the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices by appointing vaccine skeptics and subsequently reduced the number of recommended childhood vaccinations. Fifteen states, led by California and Arizona attorneys general, filed a lawsuit challenging these changes as unlawful. The states argue the modifications will undermine vaccine confidence, lower vaccination rates, increase infectious disease, and impose financial burdens through higher Medicaid spending and costs to combat misinformation. The Department of Health and Human Services defends the revised schedule as protective and aligned with international standards. This lawsuit joins similar legal challenges from medical organizations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, questioning both the schedule changes and the legality of the vaccine panel restructuring.
Read at www.mercurynews.com
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