Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez - Changes to Recommended Childhood Vaccines

 

Protecting Children from Preventable Diseases

To our NY-14 community,

Upholding critical public health measures that assure the protection of all children is of the utmost importance. This week, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) took concerning steps to unilaterally change the U.S. childhood immunization recommendations, proposing fewer routine immunizations for children without any scientific basis for the changes. Notably, HHS avoided the standard scientific review that is required before any changes can be made to federal vaccine guidelines. This is yet another example of how Secretary Kennedy’s HHS is endangering our community.

Changes to The Childhood Vaccine Schedule

HHS’s recommendations are effective immediately, cutting the number of immunizations children are recommended to receive from 18 down to 11.

HHS is no longer recommending the following vaccines to all children:

• RSV
• Hepatitis A
• Hepatitis B
• Meningococcal 
• Influenza, or flu
• COVID-19
• Rotavirus

Officials are also now recommending only one dose of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine instead of two.

HHS will continue to recommend that all children are vaccinated against diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib), pneumonia, polio, measles, mumps, rubella, and chickenpox. 

Though HHS has stated that all insurers will still cover these vaccines, these changes may still present new challenges for parents across the country who need to consult with doctors about immunizations no longer routinely recommended for all children. These changes will also increase confusion among parents and possibly cause them to doubt the benefits of vaccines and delay or skip these vaccines for their children.

What This Means and Protecting Your Children

These changes to immunization recommendations mean that millions of babies across the U.S. are at greater risk now than they were days ago. For example, prior to the development of the Rotavirus vaccine, Rotavirus was the leading cause of hospitalizations among U.S. infants, and the current leading cause is RSV. Additionally, the hepatitis B birth dose has prevented an estimated 500,000 childhood infections and more than 90,000 related deaths. We are also currently experiencing the deadliest flu season in several years, and, last year, the U.S. recorded more measles cases than any year since 1992. 

Parents with questions about the new guidance should talk to their child’s doctor and are encouraged to follow guidance that is backed by decades of scientific evidence and medical experts. 

For those who don’t have access to physicians, vaccines are available from providers around the city including pharmacies. To find vaccines near you, you can visit the New York City Health Department’s NYC Health Map. There are also 14 federally-funded community health centers in New York’s 14th Congressional District that serve over 1 million patients. 

The New York State Department of Health confirmed that New York State’s existing childhood vaccination policies, including school immunization requirements, remain unchanged at this time. There is no change to vaccine access, insurance coverage, liability protections or the federal Vaccines for Children (VFC) program, which continues to provide vaccines at no cost to eligible children.

In Service,

The Office of Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez