Pediatricians and Health Departments Sidestep Trump’s CDC on Vaccine Guidance
When the Trump administration upended years of vaccine advice, it left pediatricians in a quandary. Many say they can no longer direct families to the CDC as a trusted source of information. So some are creating their own.
Pediatrician John Snyder and health departments have distanced themselves from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) after Donald Trump appointed anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. Under Kennedy's leadership, every member of the CDC's vaccine advisory board was dismissed, replaced by new appointees, many of whom are vaccine skeptics.
This shift has led many pediatricians to seek alternative sources of vaccine information, such as launching their own education efforts or collaborating with local public health departments.
In January, the CDC removed nine vaccines from the recommended vaccine schedule for all children, including rotavirus, COVID-19, influenza, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and meningococcal disease. The agency did not respond to requests for comment on the matter. In March, a federal judge ordered the Trump administration to revert to the previous guidelines, but the administration has appealed the decision. The resulting confusion has impacted both healthcare providers and families seeking vaccine advice.
Snyder's practice, Amherst Pediatrics, now explicitly states that the CDC is no longer considered a reliable or legitimate source of information and directs families to their own doctors, the state of Massachusetts, or nongovernmental medical organizations like the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) for information. The disconnect between the CDC's logo on information sheets and Snyder's recommendation to avoid the CDC has created heated discussions on how to address this issue.
Families are increasingly hesitant about vaccines, with some refusing the COVID-19 vaccine, further complicating efforts to protect children.
Written by urgent.news from KFF Health News's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — it may contain errors, so check the original before relying on it.
