The California Medical Association is speaking out against the CDC’s recent revisions to the U.S. childhood immunization schedule.
The changes reduced the number of routine recommendations from 18 to 11 following a December directive from President Donald Trump to compare U.S. vaccine practices with those in peer nations. Acting CDC Director Jim O’Neill signed a decision memo Jan. 5 adopting changes recommended by NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya, MD, PhD, FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, MD, and CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz, MD.
“The decision to weaken the childhood immunization schedule is misguided and dangerous. As a pediatrician, I have seen firsthand how routine vaccinations save lives, prevent suffering, and protect entire communities,” said CMA’s President René Bravo, MD, a pediatrician. “Compounding these concerns is a process that has lacked transparency, making it difficult for physicians and the public to understand the evidence and reasoning behind such a consequential change. Today’s decision undermines decades of evidence-based public health policy and sends a deeply confusing message to families at a time when vaccine confidence is already under strain. The California Medical Association strongly opposes this rollback and urges families to follow recommendations from trusted national and specialty physician groups.”
Dr. Bravo’s statement echoes concerns shared by other physicians in response to the changes.
“The best-case scenario is that nothing will change,” David Margolius, MD, director of public health for the city of Cleveland, told NBC News on Jan. 5. “The worst-case scenario is that this causes more confusion, more distrust, lower vaccination rates, and then just this trend of political parties and ideologies determining which vaccines people should get.”
