A Northeastern University professor says public health experts are concerned that vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is setting the stage for confusion about childhood vaccination schedules — even among parents who wish to have their children immunized.
In worst-case scenarios, guidance by Kennedy, who may play a key health role in the second Trump administration, will lead to outbreaks of measles and other preventable childhood diseases, says Neil Maniar, director of Northeastern’s master of public health program.
“If we move in a direction where we are going to significantly reduce utilization of vaccines, we run the risk of some of these vaccine preventable diseases having a resurgence,” he says.
“And that could put us back many years in terms of the public health progress we’ve made with regard to vaccination and eradication of disease.”
There’s a vaccination schedule recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention designed to ensure children are getting the right vaccinations at the right time.
“Some of these vaccinations are given in multiple doses,” he says. “One of the things that is of concern is the possibility of vaccination schedules being interrupted if there’s a significant shift in policy.”
If vaccinations go from being required to optional, there’s a higher chance they will be skipped or not given at all, Maniar says.
