<2>RFK Jr Sued by 15 US States Over New Childhood Vaccine Schedule
<3>Background on the Lawsuit
The lawsuit filed by 15 Democrat-led states against US Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr has sparked controversy over changes to the childhood vaccination schedule. The coalition of 14 attorneys general and the governor of Pennsylvania argue that the changes are politically motivated and increase confusion about vaccinations.
<3>The Lawsuit Details
The lawsuit, filed on 24 February, targets Kennedy and Jay Bhattacharya, acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It calls the vaccine schedule changes “the culmination of a series of unlawful actions in furtherance of Secretary Kennedy’s idiosyncratic and unscientific hostility to vaccines.”
The lawsuit argues that the changes will result in fewer children getting shots and more becoming ill. It calls for the changes to be declared illegal and reversed.
<3>Changes to the Childhood Vaccination Schedule
On 5 January, the CDC reduced the number of universally recommended immunizations from 17 to 11. Under the new guidance, the CDC recommends that children receive the following vaccinations:
- Meningococcal conjugate vaccine (MenACWY) function pinIt() { var e = document.createElement('script'); e.setAttribute('type','text/javascript'); e.setAttribute('charset','UTF-8'); e.setAttribute('src','https://assets.pinterest.com/js/pinmarklet.js?r='+Math.random()*99999999); document.body.appendChild(e); }