“Children’s health depends on vaccine recommendations based on rigorous, transparent science,” American Academy of Pediatrics President Andrew D. Racine said in a January press release announcing the lawsuit. “Unfortunately, recent decisions by federal officials have abandoned this standard, causing unnecessary confusion for families, compromising access to lifesaving vaccines and weakening community protection.”
The Trump administration has appealed a judge’s order in its effort to reduce the number of vaccinations recommended for every child in the United States.
According to The Associated Press, the administration filed an appeal on Wednesday in response to a March 16 court order that blocked a decision by U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy to end the broad recommendation for all children to be vaccinated against influenza, rotavirus, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and certain forms of meningitis and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).
The same order, issued by U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy, also prevented Kennedy from appointing his own candidates to a vaccine advisory committee.
Murphy’s decision is expected to remain in place while the government’s appeal is considered.
The lawsuit, notes NBC News, was filed on behalf of a coalition of medical groups, including the American Academy of Pediatrics. In court filings, they claim that Kennedy’s proposed changes—both those to the childhood vaccination schedule, and his potential overhaul of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices—are likely violative of federal law.
Richard Hughes, an attorney for the American Academy of Pediatrics, said in a statement that he believes his team “will, in due course, respond to the government’s appeal and we expect to prevail.”
“Children’s health depends on vaccine recommendations based on rigorous, transparent science,” American Academy of Pediatrics President Andrew D. Racine said in a January press release announcing the lawsuit. “Unfortunately, recent decisions by federal officials have abandoned this standard, causing unnecessary confusion for families, compromising access to lifesaving vaccines and weakening community protection.”
George C. Benjamin, the executive of American Public Health Association—another group named as plaintiff to the lawsuit—said in the same statement that the federal government cannot simply ignore science to advance its political stance against vaccines.
“The [Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices] committee is tasked with providing evidence-based guidance to practitioners on the front lines of improving the health of all communities,” Benjamin said. “Disregarding the scientific process to fast-track partisan policy changes through a new vaccine schedule will lead to increased illness and suffering by children and their families.”
Sources
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