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The AAP diverges from CDC guidelines, advocating for Covid-19 vaccines in young children, igniting debate over vaccine policy and public health integrity.
In a break from CDC recommendations, the American Academy of Pediatrics is now recommending children aged 2-through-18 to receive a single dosage of the Covid-19 vaccine.
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The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) announced an updated set of vaccine recommendations which includes Covid-19 shots for infants and young children. This update comes in contrast to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendations, which suggests that administering Covid-19 vaccines in children should be “based on shared clinical decision-making.”
The AAP touched on the updated recommendation in a press release, saying, “It differs from recent recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices of the CDC, which was overhauled this year and replaced with individuals who have a history of spreading vaccine misinformation.”1
Unlike the CDC’s recommendations, the AAP’s recommendations state that all children ages 6-through-23 months to receive the Covid-19 vaccine, barring any allergies to the vaccine itself or its ingredients. The AAP’s recommendations also state that children ages 2-through-18 years should receive a single dosage of the Covid-19 vaccine if they suffer from high risk of Covid-19, are a resident in a long-term care facility, are unvaccinated against Covid-19, or are living in a household with others who are at high risk of Covid-19. The AAP also recommends that patients who don’t fall under any of those categories still receive a Covid-19 vaccine.
Throughout its nearly century-long history, AAP has provided its vaccine recommendations while also publishing its own vaccine schedule. Traditionally, AAP tends to stay aligned with federal recommendations, yet this time the agency elected to go its own way. Vaccine Integrity Project (a group of outside public health experts) joined the AAP in questioning federal health leadership as it conducts independent data set reviews in response to concern of vaccine misinformation and access. Tension between AAP and federal health leaders slowly built up over the past few months, with alterations to the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices being noted as the beginning.
AAP had established itself as a long-time liaison for ACIP through meeting discussions and research analytics behind the scenes, yet the tension has reached a breaking point. Making a point this past June, AAP refused to participate in the ACIP meeting, marking the first since Robert F. Kennedy Jr. dismissed all 17 members of the expert panel and replaced them with seven new ones.
Dr. Sean O’Leary, chair of the AAP committee on infectious diseases, touched on why AAP liaisons refused to attend the meeting, saying, “Because we view it as illegitimate. What we heard in this meeting was really a false narrative that the current vaccine policies are flawed and that they need fixing.”1
The rising tension has the AAP urging insurance providers to fund the vaccines included in its schedule, with AAP president Dr. Susan J. Kressly saying, “The AAP will continue to provide recommendations for immunizations that are rooted in science and are in the best interest of the health of infants, children and adolescents.”1
Following this statement the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services responded to AAP’s vaccine schedule, imploring it to “strengthen conflict-of-interest safeguards and keep its publications free from financial influence.”1
Andrew Nixon, Health and Human Services director, continued the response to AAP, writing, “The American people deserve confidence that medical recommendations are based solely on science and public health. Instead, the AAP is undermining national immunization policymaking with baseless political attacks. Secretary Kennedy has stood firm in his commitment to science, transparency, and restoring public trust. By bypassing the CDC’s advisory process and freelancing its own recommendations, while smearing those who demand accountability, the AAP is putting commercial interests ahead of public health and politics above America’s children.”1
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