MA Gov. Healey Touts Vaccine Safety, Reaffirms Access Amid Trump-RFK Jr. Clash

MASSACHUSETTS — Gov. Maura Healey is once again reaffirming long-standing support and access for childhood and other vaccines across Massachusetts amid changing federal guidance on the effectiveness —and potentially harmful aspects — of shots designed to protect against disease.

The latest battle comes as Healey charges that President Donald Trump and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy are attempting to question the efficacy, and possibly restrict access, to the Hepatitis B vaccine for infants.

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Healey's "Strengthening Trust in Childhood Vaccines: A DPH-Hosted Forum for Providers and the Public Health Community" was held the day before the federal Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices was set to begin discussions on vaccination recommendations for the full infant immunization schedule.

"Vaccines are safe, effective and lifesaving," Healey said in a statement. "No matter what President Trump and Secretary Kennedy do in Washington, we are going to make sure that Massachusetts residents have access to the vaccines they want and need to keep them and their families healthy,
especially our children.

"We will continue to provide evidence-based information to our residents and make vaccine recommendations that are rooted in data and science."

The latest vaccination show of support comes months after Healey took steps to ensure that the COVID-19 vaccine remains available across Massachusetts and that insurance companies in the state are compelled to pay for it.

"Our job is to follow the data — and the data here are beyond reproach," Massachusetts Department of Health Commissioner Robbie Goldstein said. "For more than three decades, the hepatitis B birth dose has safely protected babies from a silent, deadly virus that can too often go undetected in parents.

"The science is unequivocal, and the stakes are enormous. We owe families clarity, consistency, and reassurance that their public health system is guided by solid evidence — evidence that can be trusted and evidence that will not change with shifting political winds.”

Goldstein said the hepatitis B vaccine has reduced pediatric infection rates by 99 percent nationwide, calling it "one of the most successful public health interventions of our time."

The hepatitis B vaccine is the latest battleground between science and vaccine safety advocates, and federal administration officials who argue that many vaccines should be challenged and optional, with the belief among some that they are linked to autism and other health issues — which most experts argue is not indicated in any data or evidence.

"A healthy, thriving Massachusetts must be built on trust — trust in science, trust in our health care system, and trust that our state will always safeguard the well-being of its residents," said
Health and Human Services Secretary Kiame Mahaniah. "(This) conversation represented an important step toward rallying the greater health care ecosystem in our state to reinforce that trust and preserve access to the protections every family and every child deserves."

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)