15 states sue HHS over revisions to vaccine schedule...

The suit names the Department of Health and Human Services and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as defendants. It also names the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and its acting director, Dr. Jay Bhattacharya. The suit was brought by a group of Democratic states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin. The governor of Pennsylvania was also part of the suit. “HHS Secretary RFK Jr. and his CDC are flouting decades of scientific research, ignoring credible medical experts, and threatening to strain state resources and make America’s children sicker,” Rob Bonta, attorney general of California, said at a news briefing Tuesday. “The fact is, vaccines save lives and save our state’s money,” he added. Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes said: “The health and safety of children across the country is not a political issue. It is not a culture war talking point.” An HHS spokesperson declined to comment on ongoing litigation and referred to a previous statement saying the CDC’s updated vaccine schedule protects children “while aligning U.S. guidance with international norms.” The lawsuit contends that the administration’s new vaccination schedule was not based on any scientific evidence, relying instead on comparisons to countries that are significantly different from the United States. The new schedule most closely resembles the recommendations made in Denmark, a country with nationalized health care and a population that is a fraction of that of the United States. “Copying Denmark’s vaccine schedule without copying Denmark’s health care system doesn’t give families more options -- it just leaves kids unprotected from serious diseases,” said Kris Mayes, attorney general of Arizona. The schedule’s announcement bypassed the advisory panel that recommends which shots Americans should receive and when. The committee’s decisions have typically guided states in determining the vaccines they require for entry into day care and elementary school. And insurance companies are required to cover the shots the members recommend. Kennedy fired all 17 previous panelists in June. The new members he has appointed since share his skepticism of vaccines and mandates. They have rescinded several recommendations for childhood shots, including immunization of all newborns against hepatitis B, a highly infectious virus that can severely damage the liver. The lawsuit by Democratic states is similar to one filed in July by six medical organizations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics. The organizations sued the Health Department after Kennedy announced on social media that COVID vaccines would no longer be recommended for healthy children or pregnant women. They, too, argued that Kennedy and his appointees have made “arbitrary and capricious” changes to the childhood vaccine schedule, bypassing the usual practice of carefully reviewing evidence over months or years before making new recommendations. More than 100 public health experts and organizations this month have filed an amicus brief in support of that lawsuit, which also seeks to reverse the new schedule and to stop the new advisers from meeting. A federal court in Massachusetts heard arguments in that case this month and is expected to rule in the coming days. The lawsuit comes months after the Democratic governors of California, Washington state, and Oregon launched an alliance to establish their own vaccine recommendations. The governors said the Trump administration was risking people’s health by politicizing the CDC. States, not the federal government, have the authority to require vaccinations for schoolchildren, though the CDC’s requirements typically influence state regulations. The lawsuit escalates an ongoing battle between Democratic-led states and the Trump’s administration, which has laid off thousands of workers at federal public health agencies, cut funding for scientific research, and altered government guidance on fluoride and other topics.