In a move that clashes sharply with federal policy, Governor Maura Healey has openly criticized recent changes the CDC has made to the childhood immunization schedule, according to a statement from her office. Healey, joined by Massachusetts' top public health officials, is reinforcing the state's commitment to maintaining access to a full suite of recommended vaccines, despite the CDC's significant reduction in vaccine guidance.
"President Trump and Secretary Kennedy are yet again putting the health and wellbeing of our children at risk. They’re abandoning longstanding vaccine recommendations that have been proven to safely and effectively protect our children from diseases," Governor Maura Healey said, as reported by the Massachusetts government. In response to the CDC's rollback, Massachusetts intends to fiercely uphold a science and evidence-based vaccination schedule. The state has already taken measures to ensure vaccines are readily accessible to all its residents.
This federal decision removes several vaccines from the routine recommendation list, including those for hepatitis A, B, rotavirus, influenza, COVID-19, and meningococcal disease. The new guidance endorses a "shared clinical decision-making" approach, where health care providers and families can together decide to administer these vaccines. RSV vaccines have also been scaled back, only recommended routinely for kids in certain high-risk categories.
Massachusetts has previously fortified its position by passing legislation that permits the Department of Public Health to establish its own vaccine recommendations, rather than rely solely on federal guidance. "The decision to change CDC’s childhood immunization schedule is reckless and deeply dangerous. It abandons decades of rigorous, evidence-based science and replaces clear public health guidance with confusion and doubt," Public Health Commissioner Robbie Goldstein, MD, PhD stated, as noted by the Massachusetts government. As a part of a bipartisan coalition of state and city health departments, Massachusetts is working to closely to coordinate on vaccine recommendations and maintain public health protections.
