NYC Rejects RFK Jr.’s Vaccine Schedule Change, Health Commissioner Says

NEW YORK CITY — The city's acting health department commissioner made it clear on Tuesday that she and other health officials do not agree with the recent overhaul of the childhood vaccination schedule by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. that recommends fewer shots for children.

Commissioner Michelle Morse in a statement on Tuesday said that RFK Jr.’s revised childhood vaccination schedule will have "deadly consequences."

Under the new schedule, children are now recommended to get vaccines for 11 diseases, compared with the previous 18. The change will more closely resemble Denmark’s vaccine schedule.

The CDC will continue to recommend that all children get vaccines for measles, diphtheria, Haemophilus influenzae type B (Hib), mumps, rubella, polio, pertussis, tetanus, pneumococcal disease, HPV and chickenpox.

Other vaccines will now only be recommended for “high-risk groups."

Officials have said the change is meant to restore public trust in the health system that waned during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Morse argued that the change to weaken the childhood vaccination schedule puts the health and well-being of children and their families at risk.

"The federal administration justified its decision as an effort to mirror countries that recommend fewer childhood vaccinations, not because new scientific evidence was offered. But in fact, nations including Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Italy, and Spain recommend childhood vaccination schedules similar to the one the U.S. was using," Morse said.

The NYC Health Department is recommending that children continue to receive all vaccines previously recommended by the CDC.

Parents and caregivers should speak to their pediatrician if they have questions about vaccination recommendations. Health care providers in New York City should continue to follow the existing recommendations, Morse advices.

The health department commissioner also said the changes will cause people to suffer possible preventable illness, disabilities, hospitalizations, and even death.

"As a public servant and medical professional, I will not stay silent. The NYC Health Department remains committed to our mission of protecting the health and safety of all New Yorkers," Morse said.