Flu vaccine
MADISON, Wis. - Wisconsin is among more than a dozen states that filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over last month's changes to federal childhood vaccine recommendations.
Vaccine recommendations
The backstory:
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention would continue to recommend that all children be immunized against 10 diseases for which there is international consensus, as well as chickenpox.
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The updated schedule came in contrast to the CDC child and adolescent schedule at the end of 2024, which recommended 17 immunizations for all children. On the new schedule, vaccines – such as those for hepatitis A and B, meningitis, rotavirus and seasonal flu – became recommended only for those at high risk or after consultation with a health care provider.
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In response, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services said those modifications further stray "from alignment with America's leading medical associations and organizations."
The DHS said at the time that it was not making changes to its vaccine recommendations. It continued to endorse the American Academy of Pediatrics schedule and issued guidance to Wisconsin health care providers reaffirming that recommendation.
The lawsuit
What they're saying:
The states involved in the lawsuit argue that the CDC put children's lives at risk when it announced it would stop recommending all children get immunized against the flu, rotavirus, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, some forms of meningitis and RSV.
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"Removing these vaccines from the childhood immunization schedule is dangerous," Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul said in a statement. "Vaccines save lives."
Emily G. Hilliard, press secretary for the Department of Health and Human Services, blasted the complaint as a "publicity stunt dressed up as a lawsuit."
Health policy
Big picture view:
The lawsuit escalates an ongoing battle between Democratic-led states and Republican President Donald Trump's administration over the federal government's changes to public health policy under Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The Trump administration has laid off thousands of workers at federal public health agencies, cut funding for scientific research and altered government guidance on fluoride and other topics.
States sue Trump administration over child vaccine policy. What we know
Multiple states are suing the Trump administration over its adjustments to vaccine recommendations for children. The CDC said it would stop recommending kids be immunized against the flu, RSV, and other infections.
Kennedy last year ousted every member of a vaccine advisory committee and replaced them with his own picks, which Tuesday's complaint alleges was unlawful.
The lawsuit comes months after the Democratic governors of California, Washington state and Oregon launched an alliance to establish their own vaccine recommendations. The governors said the Trump administration was risking people's health by politicizing the CDC.
States, not the federal government, have the authority to require vaccinations for schoolchildren, though the CDC's requirements typically influence state regulations.
The Source: FOX6 News referenced information from the Wisconsin Department of Justice and The Associated Press.