Trump administration asking public comment on vaccine recommendations
Asking people to weigh in on adoption of different categories in move that will sow confusion and create access challenges, say experts The Trump administration is asking for public feedback on changes to the ways it recommends vaccines – likely opening the door to greater access challenges and confusion, experts say. In a notice published by the health and human services (HHS) to the Federal…
The Trump administration is requesting public input on potential changes to how it recommends vaccines, a move that experts warn could lead to increased confusion and access challenges. In a notice published in the Federal Register on Friday, officials are seeking public feedback on the current categories for vaccine recommendations, which include routine, risk-based, and shared clinical decision-making. The administration is also asking for input on whether additional or different categories should be implemented.
Experts, such as Dorit Reiss, a vaccine law expert and professor at UC Law San Francisco, and Wendy Parmet, a public health law scholar at Northeastern University, have expressed concerns about the decision. Parmet believes that initiating this process by the Health and Human Services (HHS) rather than the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) or the CDC's advisory committee on immunization practices (ACIP) raises questions about the relevance of expert input.
Reiss noted that HHS has not been asking for public comments enough, but the current approach is unusual and potentially problematic.
The public is being asked to comment on various aspects, such as how to evaluate the strength of existing scientific evidence and how to handle cases where randomized controlled trial evidence is limited or absent. While these considerations may not be inherently problematic, the worry is that HHS may be bypassing CDC and other relevant experts in the decision-making process.
This move follows a recent executive order signed by Donald Trump directing federal agencies to reduce vaccine recommendations, which mirrors a previous change in January that was halted by a federal judge. While the executive order cannot alter vaccine recommendations, it is expected to create confusion and doubt. The public has 30 days to submit comments on the HHS notice.
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