A sad, sad day for the children of the United States. To paraphrase Neil Armstrong and his first words on the moon, this is “a small step backward for the ACIP and a giant leap backwards for the well-being of our children.”
The science supports the current hepatitis b vaccine recommendations, not the whims of a panel of “advisors” who do not have the creds to make decisions that could jeopardize the health and future of our children. Although they have opted to eliminate the birth dose of the vaccine, I, along with the vast majority of pediatricians and the American Academy of Pediatrics, will continue to follow the current guidelines. We will discuss and support the birth dose of hepatitis B vaccine and will definitely encourage our families to start the vaccine series by 2 months of age. We will also follow the guidelines put forth by the AAP, our professional organization and the NY State Department of Health along with the Northeast Coalition of states supporting the current vaccine schedules. The CDC can no longer be considered a reliable source of information.
This is, most likely, the first of many poor decisions that the ACIP will make under Mr. Kennedy’s rule. Pediatricians as well as parents will get to see illnesses that they have only seen in textbooks. I am old enough to have diagnosed 2 cases of measles and 1 of mumps and have seen babies die from whooping cough, haemophilus influenza b, pneumococcus and meningococcus infections. I have been lucky enough to practice in an era where we have increased our ability to safely prevent this infections with vaccines. When I started my practice in 1981, we immunized against 7 infections. Since then, our vaccines have become much more refined with significantly fewer side effects, and we now routinely protect against 15 potentially fatal infections. These are scientific advances. To coin another phrase, “Vaccines cause adults.”
And, I continue to take issue with Senator Cassidy, who now voices his concerns about the proceedings of the committee. If he had not put politics ahead of the Hippocratic Oath when approving Mr. Kennedy’s appointment, we might not be in this situation.
We at Lewis Pediatrics will continue be here for you, address your questions and concerns, provide you with the best information we can, and put your health and the health of your children as our top priority. Thank you for the honor of caring for your families.