NEW YORK (AP) — For the first time in 30 years, the American Academy of Pediatrics is substantially diverging from U.S. government vaccine recommendations.
The group’s new COVID-19 recommendations — released Tuesday — come amid a tumultuous year for public health, as vaccine skeptics have come into power in the new Trump administration and government guidance has become increasingly confusing.
This isn’t going to help, acknowledged Dr. James Campbell, vice chair of the AAP infectious diseases committee.
“It is going to be somewhat confusing. But our opinion is we need to make the right choices for children to protect them,” he added.
The AAP is strongly recommending COVID-19 shots for children ages 6 months to 2 years. Shots also are advised for older children if parents want their kids vaccinated, the AAP said.
That differs from guidance established under U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., which doesn’t recommend the shots for healthy children of any age but says kids may get the shots in consultation with physicians.
Children ages 6 months to 2 years are at high risk for severe illness from COVID-19, and it was important that recommendations continue to emphasize the need for them to get vaccinated, said Campbell, a University of Maryland infectious diseases expert.
Vaccinations also are recommended for older children who have chronic lung diseases or other conditions that put them at higher risk for severe disease, the AAP said.
In a statement, Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson Andrew Nixon said “the AAP is undermining national immunization policymaking with baseless political attacks.”
He accused the group of putting commercial interests ahead of public health, noting that vaccine manufacturers have been donors to the AAP’s Friends of Children Fund. The fund is currently paying for projects on a range of topics, including health equity and prevention of injuries and deaths from firearms.
The 95-year-old Itasca, Illinois-based organization has issued vaccination recommendations for children since the 1930s. In 1995, it synced its advice with recommendations made by the federal government’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
There have been a few small differences between AAP and CDC recommendations since then. For example, the AAP has advised that children get HPV vaccinations starting at age 9; the CDC says that’s OK but has emphasized vaccinations at ages 11 and 12.
But in 30 years, this is the first time the recommendations have differed “in a significant or substantial way,” Campbell said.
Until recently, the CDC — following recommendations by infectious disease experts — has been urging annual COVID-19 boosters for all Americans ages 6 months and older.
But in May, U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced that COVID-19 vaccines are no longer recommended for healthy children and pregnant women. A few days later, the CDC issued language that healthy children may get the shots, but that there was no longer a “should” recommendation.
The idea that healthy older kids may be able to skip COVID-19 boosters has been brewing for some time among public health experts. As the COVID-19 pandemic has waned, experts have increasingly discussed the possibility of focusing vaccination efforts on people 65 and older — who are among those most as risk for death and hospitalization.
A CDC expert panel in June was set to make recommendations about the fall shots. Among the options the panel was considering was whether suggest shots for high-risk groups but still giving lower-risk people the choice to get vaccinated.
But Kennedy bypassed the group, and also decided to dismiss the 17-member panel and appoint his own, smaller panel, that included vaccine skeptics. Kennedy also later excluded the AAP, the American Medical Association and other top medical organizations from working with the advisers to establish vaccination recommendations.
Kennedy’s new vaccine panel has yet to vote on COVID-19 shot recommendations.
The panel did endorse continuing to recommend fall flu vaccinations, but also made a decision that led to another notable difference with the AAP.
The new advisory panel voted that people should only get flu vaccines that are packaged as single doses and do not contain the preservative thimerosal.
The AAP said there is no evidence of harm from the preservative, and recommended doctors use any licensed flu vaccine product that’s appropriate for the patient.
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