AP file photo

ALPENA — State and local health department officials affirm their recommendations for childhood vaccine scheduling despite federal overhaul on immunization practices in the country.

On Monday, Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services Jim O’Neill, in his role as Acting Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), signed a memorandum of decision, which accepted updated recommendations for U.S childhood immunization practices, according to a HHS press release.

The release states that on Dec. 5, President Trump directed the Secretary of HHS and the Acting Director of CDC to examine how “developed nations” structure their childhood vaccination schedules and to evaluate the scientific evidence underlying those practices.

“President Trump directed us to examine how other developed nations protect their children and to take action if they are doing better,” Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said in the release. “After an exhaustive review of the evidence, we are aligning the United States childhood vaccine schedule with international consensus while strengthening transparency and informed consent. This decision protects children, respects families, and rebuilds trust in public health.”

In response to that decision, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) issued a statement regarding their approach to recommending and encouraging childhood vaccines:

“For decades, vaccines have played a critical role in the prevention and control of infectious diseases and significant reductions in childhood illnesses and fatalities.”

MDHHS’s statement follows Michigan’s Chief Medical Executive Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian’s recommendation on Dec.18 in which she advised health care providers and families to follow the child and adolescent immunization schedule produced by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) or the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP).

“We continue to stand by that recommendation,” MDHHS’s release states.

District Health Department No. 4 (DHD4) Medical Director Dr. Joshua Meyerson told The News that his opinion and recommendation on childhood vaccine scheduling is in alignment with MDHHS’s.

“I concur with the statements made in the release,” Meyerson said in an email to The News. “In general, for all routine vaccines, the health department will continue to follow and recommend the AAP Child and Adolescent Immunization Schedule and the AAFP Schedules for Adults.”

According to HHS’s release on Monday, the federal health department’s assessment compared United States childhood immunization recommendations with those of peer nations, analyzed vaccine uptake and public trust, evaluated clinical and epidemiological evidence and knowledge gaps, examined vaccine mandates, and identified next steps.

Overall, the assessment reviewed 20 nations and found that “the United States is a global outlier among developed nations in both the number of diseases addressed in its routine childhood vaccination schedule and the total number of recommended doses but does not have higher vaccination rates than such countries.”

HHS states that “many peer nations that recommend fewer routine vaccines achieve strong child health outcomes and maintain high vaccination rates through public trust and education rather than mandates.”

HHS includes a case study in which the United States recommended “more childhood vaccines than any peer nation, and more than twice as many doses as some European nations” in 2024. In comparison, HHS claims that Denmark only vaccinated children against 10 diseases whereas the United States vaccinated children for 18 diseases.

“After reviewing the evidence, I signed a decision memorandum accepting the assessment’s recommendations,” Acting CDC Director Jim O’Neill said in the HHS release. “The data support a more focused schedule that protects children from the most serious infectious diseases while improving clarity, adherence, and public confidence.”

The accepted recommendations will require the CDC to continue organizing the childhood immunization schedule in three categories:

— Immunizations Recommended for All Children

— Immunizations Recommended for Certain High-Risk Groups or Populations

— Immunizations Based on Shared Clinical Decision-Making

These categories require insurance companies to cover without cost-sharing, according to the HHS release. The first category, for example, will include vaccines for measles, mumps, rubella, polio, pertussis, tetanus, diphtheria, Haemophilus influenzae type B (Hib), pneumococcal disease, human papillomavirus (HPV), and varicella (chickenpox).

“All vaccines currently recommended by CDC will remain covered by insurance without cost sharing,” Dr. Mehmet Oz, also known as Dr. Oz, said in the HHS release. “No family will lose access. This framework empowers parents and physicians to make individualized decisions based on risk, while maintaining strong protection against serious disease.”

Apart from immunization rates in the country, the assessment also documents “a significant decline in public trust in health care institutions between 2020 and 2024, alongside falling childhood vaccination rates and increased risk of vaccine-preventable diseases,” according to the HHS release.

HHS says that the accepted recommendations recognize “there is a need for more and better gold standard science, including placebo-controlled randomized trials and long-term observational studies to better characterize vaccine benefits, risks, and outcomes.”

Kayla Wikaryasz can be reached at 989-358-5688 or kwikaryasz@TheAlpenaNews.com.