OPINION — We’re about to find out what it means for public health to have one of the nation’s leading vaccine skeptics driving the country’s health policy.
The Department of Health and Human Services, headed by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., just approved an unprecedented overhaul of the childhood immunization schedule, cutting the number of vaccines routinely recommended for all children from 17 to 11. Long-standing vaccines, including those for hepatitis A and B, rotavirus and meningitis, are no longer recommended.
Remember, recommended doesn’t mean mandated. The sharp break from decades of public-health consensus risks restricting access to vaccines and increasing the burden of preventable diseases.
