Federal Judge Blocks RFK Jr Changes To CDC Childhood Vaccine Schedule - Setback for Health Sec

The ruling stems from a lawsuit brought by major medical organizations including the American Academy of Pediatrics. NBC News, Monday, March 16, 2026. Ed. 🥼
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A federal judge in Massachusetts on Monday blocked Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s recent overhaul of the nation’s childhood vaccine schedule - a major blow to his vaccine agenda.

The ruling stems from a lawsuit the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and other medical groups brought against the Dept. of Health and Human Services, arguing that Kennedy’s changes to vaccine recommendations and to an influential vaccine advisory committee violated federal law. In January, Kennedy and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention made sweeping changes to the childhood vaccine schedule, reducing the number of recommended diseases to be vaccinated against from 18 to 11.

The change dropped recommendations that all babies should be protected against hepatitis A, hepatitis B, RSV, dengue and two types of bacterial meningitis.

In response, more than 200 groups, including the American Medical Association, the March of Dimes and the Autism Science Foundation, announced they would disregard the changes and follow the AAP’s immunization schedule, instead. The judge also put on hold the new members Kennedy has appointed to the CDC’s vaccine advisory committee since June. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices helps shape U.S. vaccine policy, including recommendations that influence the childhood vaccine schedule and which shots insurance must cover.

The panel was scheduled to meet Wednesday and Thursday. According to the AAP’s attorney, Richard Hughes, the judge’s decision essentially stops the meeting from happening. An HHS official confirmed that the meeting had been postponed. The ruling also stayed any of the votes Kennedy’s ACIP has taken since June, including a vote to no longer recommend the hepatitis B vaccine for all newborns.

The decision is a setback for Kennedy, a longtime anti-vaccine activist who promised to restore trust in the public health agencies, but whose controversial policies have created confusion among pediatricians and contributed to more distrust of childhood vaccination, experts say. A recent survey from the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the Univ. of Penn. found that trust in public health agencies has fallen in President Donald Trump’s second term. “Today is a day to celebrate the triumph of science over misinformation,” said Dr. Richard Besser, president of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. “This is a huge blow to Kennedy’s vaccine policies.”...

https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/national-international/federal-judge-blocks-rfk-jr-cdc-childhood-vaccine-schedule/4076763/