Pa., N.J. and Del. sue over CDC’s changes to childhood vaccine recommendations

More than a dozen states — including Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware — sued the Trump administration on Tuesday over its rollback of vaccine recommendations for children, calling the move an illegal threat to public health.

The states argue that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention put children’s lives at risk when it announced last month that it would stop recommending all children get immunized against the flu, rotavirus, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, some forms of meningitis and RSV. Under the new guidance, which was met with criticism from medical experts, protections against those diseases are recommended only for certain groups deemed high risk or when doctors recommend them in what’s called “shared decision-making.”

The new vaccine recommendations ignore long-standing medical guidance and will make states spend more to protect against outbreaks, the lawsuit said.

“The health and safety of children across the country is not a political issue,” said Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, a Democrat, at a news conference. “It is not a culture war talking point.”

The CDC and Department of Health and Human Services did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the lawsuit.

The lawsuit escalates an ongoing battle between Democratic-led states and Republican President Donald Trump’s administration over the federal government’s changes to public health policy under Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The Trump administration has laid off thousands of workers at federal public health agencies, cut funding for scientific research and altered government guidance on fluoride and other topics.

Kennedy last year ousted every member of a vaccine advisory committee and replaced them with his own picks, which Tuesday’s complaint alleges was unlawful.

“The Trump Administration and RFK Jr. are once again ignoring decades of science and evidence, pushing slop research that isn’t based in reality and actively imposing new policies that will lead to more children getting sick from preventable diseases,” Pa. Gov. Josh Shapiro said. “I’m going to court to ensure doctors and qualified experts are making vaccine recommendations; not conspiracy theorists. Every Pennsylvanian deserves accurate information to make their own health care decisions when consulting with their doctors — and science, not politics, will continue to guide our health care decisions here in the Commonwealth.”

The lawsuit comes months after the Democratic governors of California, Washington state and Oregon launched an alliance to establish their own vaccine recommendations. The governors said the Trump administration was risking people’s health by politicizing the CDC.

States, not the federal government, have the authority to require vaccinations for schoolchildren, though the CDC’s requirements typically influence state regulations.

Philly Live’s Aunyea Lachelle chats with Dr. Rodrigo Cerda, Senior Vice President of Health Services and Chief Medical Officer for Independence Blue Cross, all about why it’s so important to get the flu vaccine.