The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has significantly revised its childhood immunization schedule, reducing the number of recommended vaccines in a move that has sparked legal challenges from medical organizations and prompted some states to take protective action.

According to the [CDC], Deputy Secretary of HHS and Acting CDC Director Jim O'Neill signed a decision memorandum implementing the changes, which adopt "individual-based decision-making for COVID-19 and standalone vaccination for chickenpox in toddlers." [US News] reported that "the federal government has drastically scaled back the number of recommended childhood immunizations."

The changes come under the leadership of HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has taken what critics describe as contradictory positions on vaccination policy. [US News] noted that Kennedy "has both backed vaccination as a public health tool and taken steps to undermine it" since taking the helm of HHS.

The American Public Health Association (APHA) has strongly criticized the new approach, calling it "health policy malpractice at the highest level" that "must be reversed before children and families across the country suffer." The organization warned that the "Trump-RFK Jr.'s new vaccine schedule puts families at risk" [APHA].

Medical and public health organizations have responded with legal action. The American Academy of Pediatrics, along with the Massachusetts Public Health Association, the Infectious Diseases Society of America, and APHA, filed an amended complaint in U.S. District Court for Massachusetts challenging the changes to the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommendations. The groups argue that Kennedy's actions "violate the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) and the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA)" and are requesting that "the current Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices be disbanded and reconstituted under court supervision" [APHA].

Anticipating federal policy changes, some states have taken preemptive action. [NPR] reported that Colorado "started revamping its vaccine policies last spring" and has been "changing laws and regulations in an effort to preserve access to vaccines" while Kennedy "dismantles the federal institutions that set vaccine policy."

Public health experts are also warning about broader implications for disease prevention. [US News] highlighted concerns that "Canada lost its measles-free status in November" and questioned whether "the U.S. [is] next," noting that "The U.S. Eliminated Measles. It's Back."

The policy changes extend beyond vaccines to other areas of public health. New Medicaid eligibility rules are being implemented that "could make coverage harder to keep and affect care across the health system," according to [US News]. The publication noted that while "Medicaid isn't disappearing," the changes represent significant shifts in healthcare access.

Meanwhile, public health leaders convened in Washington, D.C. this week to "defend their vision for America's health, and look ahead for how to rebuild after the Trump administration's attacks on the system," [NPR] reported.

The controversy reflects broader tensions over federal health policy, with [APHA] describing the current situation as involving "a slew of dangerous proposed public health policies [that] jeopardize critical public health systems, weaken protections for vulnerable populations and risk worsening health inequities."