A decision by federal officials to scale back the number of vaccines recommended for children surprised some Northeastern University public health experts, who warn the move could confuse parents and increase the risk of preventable diseases.
The Department of Health and Human Services, headed by Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., announced Jan. 5 that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was reducing the number of diseases prevented by childhood vaccination from 17 to 11.
Under the revised guidance, the CDC continues to recommend vaccines for measles, mumps and rubella, polio, whooping cough and other illnesses. But vaccinations for several diseases — including respiratory syncytial virus, rotavirus, and hepatitis A and B — are no longer universally recommended and are instead subject to “shared clinical decision-making” between parents and physicians, or limited to high-risk groups.
Neil Maniar, director of Northeastern’s master of public health program, called the new policy recommendation a “seismic change.”
“We are significantly changing the childhood vaccination schedule that has been shown to be very effective for several decades now,” he said.
Even slight delays or disruptions in the vaccination schedule will mean fewer immunized children and “unnecessary spikes in diseases that can have lifelong implications for individuals,” Maniar said.
Elizabeth Glowacki, a Northeastern associate teaching professor in public health and health sciences, said the new recommendations are bound to cause confusion and stress for parents.
