The Minnesota Department of Health is taking a rare step - they're bucking the new childhood vaccination recommendations announced by the Centers for Disease Control.
The CDC has dropped the number of recommended vaccinations from 17 to 11, eliminating a dose of the HPV vaccine, and dropping recommendations for things like hepatitis and meningocaccal disease.
Director of the state health department's infectious disease control division Jessica Hancock-Allen says they're following the science and aligning their decision with professional organizations like the American Academy of Pediatrics.
"The recent changes at the federal level really reflect policy and process shifts," Hancock-Allen explains. "And so I really wanna highlight that there is no new scientific discoveries backing these changes."
Hancock-Allen says all school vaccination requirements in Minnesota remain unchanged.
"There are no changes right now in the school and childcare requirements in the state of Minnesota," she added.
Last week after the CDC adjusted the vaccine numbers, Dr. Michael Osterholm of the Vaccine Integrity Project, based at the University of Minnesota, responded saying eliminating them without public discussion of the potential impacts on children or a transparent review of the data on which the changes were based is a radical and dangerous decision.
Osterholm calls the decision wildly irresponsible and says it will lead to more hospitalizations and preventable deaths among American children.
“Abandoning recommendations for vaccines that prevent influenza, hepatitis and rotavirus, and changing the recommendation for HPV without a public process to weigh the risks and benefits, will lead to more hospitalizations and preventable deaths among American children,” said Osterholm.
Trump administration officials said the overhaul, a move long sought by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., won’t result in families who want the vaccines losing access to them, and said insurance will continue to pay. But medical experts said the move increases confusion for parents and could increase preventable diseases.
“The Minnesota Medical Association is very concerned about how the CDC's changes will add unnecessary confusion and uncertainty around vaccines," said Minnesota Medical Association President Lisa Mattson, MD. "We urge Minnesota parents and families to talk directly with their physicians about the critical role that childhood vaccines play in preventing serious disease and death. By vaccinating your child, you are not only protecting your child’s health, but also the health of their classmates, friends and community."