PROVIDENCE – Following another set of federal changes to childhood vaccination guidelines, the R.I. Department of Health and the state chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians are urging parents and clinicians to adhere to a previously established, full vaccination schedule.
The Ocean State organizations reiterated their existing vaccination schedules after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Jan. 5 reduced the number of routine vaccinations recommended for all children aged 11-17.
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“RIDOH does not support these updates,” the state health agency said in a Jan. 7 statement. “The underlying scientific evidence remains unchanged and RIDOH continues to support the full [American Academy of Pediatrics] and [American Academy of Family Physicians] vaccination schedules for children.”
The Rhode Island chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians on Jan. 5 shared its own statement condemning the federal changes, which the group said “will create confusion among families, hurt the public health, and put children at risk for preventable illness and death.”
The chapter also expressed concerns that the new federal guidelines could potentially have on insurance coverage and the vaccine supply chain, as well as criticized the CDC for issuing its decision without consulting independent experts.
“These unjustifiable changes to the vaccination schedule have real consequences that will harm children from preventable illnesses and create unnecessary public health risks for millions of people,” the group said.
Rhode Islanders can access detailed vaccine information via the health department’s Recommended Childhood Immunization Schedule for Routine Vaccination Using State-Supplied Vaccine guide, which can be found here.
Jacquelyn Voghel is a PBN staff writer. You may reach her at Voghel@PBN.com.
