New Mexico will not follow suit after the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services cut down the list of recommended childhood vaccines Monday.
“We know this is confusing for parents, but the science is clear — vaccines are safe, effective and save children’s lives,” Dr. Miranda Durham, chief medical officer for the New Mexico Department of Health, said in a statement.
The state Department of Health will continue to recommend vaccines for 18 diseases, including for flu, RSV and meningitis. HHS has dropped its recommended list of vaccines to cover 11 diseases.
Despite the abbreviated list at the federal level, all childhood vaccinations will still be covered under the Vaccines for Children Program, Medicaid and private insurance, according to a news release from the New Mexico Department of Health. NMDOH does not anticipate a change in vaccine availability in New Mexico.
NMDOH is encouraging parents and caregivers to discuss vaccination decisions with their health care providers, using the American Academy of Pediatrics’ immunization schedule as a guide.
“President (Donald) Trump directed us to examine how other developed nations protect their children and to take action if they are doing better,” HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said in a statement. “After an exhaustive review of the evidence, we are aligning the U.S. childhood vaccine schedule with international consensus while strengthening transparency and informed consent.”
Kennedy believes the shorter list will rebuild trust in public health. HHS reviewed 20 other developed nations and determined that the U.S. is an outlier in the number of diseases and number of recommended doses in its childhood vaccine schedule.
Comparing vaccine schedules to other countries is like comparing apples and oranges, said Dr. Kristy Riniker, a family medicine doctor who serves as vice president of the New Mexico Academy of Family Physicians and on the Commission of Health of the Public for the American Academy of Family Physicians. The U.S. has different demographics, vaccine histories and immigration patterns from other countries, she said.
“It’s one thing when you’re in a small, isolated country, and it’s a different thing when you’re in a very large country with a lot of travel,” Riniker said.
The new federal schedule still includes:
The MMR vaccine for measles, mumps and rubella
DTaP for diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis or whooping cough
Polio
Chickenpox
Human papillomavirus, or HPV, although it reduces the number of recommended vaccine doses
Hib, or haemophilus influenzae type B
PCV, or pneumococcal conjugate vaccine
The schedule drops broad vaccine recommendations for flu, rotavirus, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, meningococcal disease, RSV and COVID-19 — vaccines New Mexico will continue to recommend.
The New Mexico Pharmacists Association strongly supports NMDOH’s decision to maintain full childhood vaccination recommendations, said Chief Executive Officer Lex Garcia.
New Mexico maintains full childhood vaccine recommendations despite federal changes
