Several public health groups are suing to reverse a decision from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that narrows the list of vaccines recommended for children, arguing that Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and other leaders failed to consider how the new policy would endanger families and burden the health care system.
The plaintiffs, which consist of seven public health organizations led by the American Academy of Pediatrics, a physician, and two patients, accused Kennedy of “inappropriately” influencing a key vaccine advisory committee by packing it with unqualified experts who hold anti-vaccine views.
“Defendants have engaged in a pattern and practice of changing U.S. vaccine policy without consideration of the relevant factors or providing any reasoned explanation,” reads the complaint, filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Massachusetts.
Spokespeople for the CDC and the Department of Health and Human Services did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The Health Department’s Jan. 5 decision means the CDC will no longer recommend every child be immunized for rotavirus, influenza, meningococcal disease and hepatitis A. Instead, the agency will recommend those vaccines only for smaller groups of high-risk children or if a doctor recommends them.
The Washington Post reported Monday that some pediatricians are ignoring the new guidelines, which have caused confusion and anxiety among American families.
In announcing the decision, Kennedy, a longtime vaccine skeptic, said the department is aligning U.S. vaccine schedules more closely with “international consensus,” specifically citing Denmark’s more limited set of recommendations. “This decision protects children, respects families, and rebuilds trust in public health,” Kennedy said in a statement at the time.
The lawsuit takes issue with recent appointments to a key vaccine advisory committee called the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, or ACIP. The Post has reported that the committee itself was not consulted before the decision being made public, and many federal vaccine scientists said they were blindsided.
The plaintiffs asked the court to disallow the committee from meeting any further, citing federal law requiring federal advisory committees to be “fairly balanced” and not “inappropriately influenced.” The lawsuit cites past statements from recently appointed committee members questioning the validity of vaccines, arguing that all but one of the recent appointees don’t have the necessary qualifications.
The complaint also stated, citing unspecified “information and belief,” that only Republicans and Independents were considered for inclusion in the committee. The plaintiffs said in their suit that 10 of its members have publicly stated views that align with secretary’s, and accused the group of spreading misinformation.
“The public meetings of this [advisory board] have served as a megaphone for spreading misinformation about immunization and infectious diseases that is directly harming the Plaintiffs and the American public,” the complaint reads.
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