The Department of Health and Human Services’ Reduction in Recommended Vaccines — Right or Wrong?

What’s Right, What’s Wrong — Article 3

By S. A. K. Arthur, author of The Last Heir of Arthur and *I Am Yeshua*

Photo by CDC on Unsplash

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Core Right

Compassion/Kindness — Courage — Cooperation/Sharing — Fairness/Tolerance — Humility — Integrity/Uprightness — Justice — Nobility/Honor — Patience — Respect

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Preface: My first article, *Getting to the Core of Right, explains how the above Core Right characteristics were arrived at. When I evaluate something that’s happened (the “Matter at Hand”), I start by identifying the core right(s) at issue, the intention (motivation) of the protagonist (or, more likely, the antagonist), and the action(s) taken. That’s not to say every intention and action was right, but rather that there was a core right(s) that should’ve* been central to the intention and action. Then, with the core right in mind, I determine whether the intention(s) and results of the action(s) were right or wrong.

Matter at Hand: Is the Department of Health and Human Services’ reduction in recommended vaccines right or wrong?

Core Right(s) at Issue: Compassion/Kindness; Integrity/Uprightness; Respect

Protagonist/Antagonist: Department of Health and Human Services; Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

Action/Result: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently scaled back the number of recommended routine childhood vaccinations. The childhood vaccine schedule, which pediatricians have long depended on to protect children against a variety of diseases, previously recommended 17 vaccinations. As of January 5th, though, the number is now 11. Vaccinations for hepatitis A, hepatitis B, rotavirus, influenza, RSV, meningococcal ACWY, and meningococcal B — diseases which have plagued children for centuries, if not for all of recorded history — are no longer being recommended. To receive them, a parent will need the consent of a physician.

The CDC is under the control of the Department of Health and Human Services. The HHS is led by Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., who has advanced a variety of conspiracy theories over the years, none of which have been scientifically validated. These include:

· Vaccines cause autism

· COVID-19 “targeted” Caucasians and Blacks while protecting Jews and the Chinese

· Wi-Fi “radiation” causes cancer and “cellphone tumors”

· Water fluoridation is linked to arthritis, bone cancer, and IQ loss

· Psychiatric drug prescriptions are linked to school shootings

RFK, Jr., has been one of the top “superspreaders” of vaccine misinformation on X (formerly Twitter), and for years, he ran Children’s Health Defense, a nonprofit group that ginned up distrust in vaccines and contributed to anti-vaccine legislation.

His actions since becoming Secretary have included:

· Forcing out the Food and Drug Administration’s top vaccine regulator

· Removing the recommendation for children and pregnant women to receive a COVID-19 vaccination

· Terminating a flu vaccine campaign in the midst of a brutal flu season

· Removing all 17 members of the ACIP (Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices), and then handpicking many of their replacements

Yet the overall scientific consensus is that, while no medical intervention is risk-free, the risks associated with diseases are generally far greater than the risks of vaccines. Hundreds of millions of people have received vaccinations over the decades, and vaccines — which undergo stringent testing before approval — are considered among the most successful public health actions ever taken. The vaccines for hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and rotavirus, for example, have prevented 2 million hospitalizations and more than 90,000 deaths over the past 30 years. Four million deaths worldwide are prevented by childhood vaccinations every year. And by 2030, measles and hepatitis vaccinations will save an estimated 33 million lives worldwide.

But vaccine successes are being eroded. In the 2023/24 flu season, for instance, a total of 207 children died as a result of the flu, and in the 2024/25 flu season, 288 children died, 89% of whom were not fully vaccinated. Thus far this flu season, flu-related doctor visits have reached levels not seen in 30 years.

Choosing not to vaccinate is becoming more and more prevalent in the United States. Large swaths of the country are now vulnerable to preventable diseases, in large part due to the growing number of allowed exemptions for vaccines required to attend public schools, most of which are nonmedical, i.e., for religious or personal belief reasons.

HHS’s change to the childhood vaccine schedule has been condemned by many infectious disease experts. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) continues to broadly support all 17 vaccines and calls the recent change to the schedule “dangerous and unnecessary.” Additionally, more than 230 clinical, pediatric, public health, and medical organizations have criticized the overhaul, warning that it will increase distrust in vaccines, cause confusion, contribute to falling vaccination rates, widen health inequities, and make vaccine access more difficult. To the latter point, doctors may reduce or stop stocking some vaccines, and private insurers (who tend to follow CDC and ACIP recommendations) may stop covering the cost of some vaccines.

The decision to reduce the number of recommended vaccines from 17 to 11 came after a brief review of other countries’ practices. It was not recommended by the ACIP, which

traditionally follows a careful review and assessment process. The concern is that the reduction was meant to appease people who are against vaccinations, rather than to adhere to scientific and medical evidence. HHS officials cited a 33-page assessment prepared by two political appointees — Dr. Tracy Beth Høeg, a doctor specializing in sports medicine who is acting director of the FDA’s drugs division, and Martin Kulldorff, a biostatistician and epidemiologist who only recently joined the HHS — who looked at what 20 other countries are doing. In a January 5th press release, RFK, Jr., said, “We are aligning the U.S. childhood vaccine schedule with international consensus, while strengthening transparency and informed consent.” Per the chart below, the U.S. will now rank below every country other than Denmark.

Source: STAT News

All this is happening despite the fact that the science behind the vaccines, and their safety and effectiveness, has not changed. The vaccines have been well-studied, widely used, and proven to work, protecting not only the vaccinated but those they come in contact with. People who are not vaccinated, and who are more susceptible to infection or complications from infection, are placed at greater risk as the number of unvaccinated people increases. And the diseases prevented by the removed vaccines can cause hospitalization, long-term organ damage, cancer, and death.

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Conclusion

Matter at Hand: Is the Department of Health and Human Services’ reduction in recommended vaccines right or wrong?

Core Right(s) at Issue: Compassion/Kindness; Integrity/Uprightness; Respect

Action/Result:

· Positives — Temporary peace of mind for those who worry about vaccine side effects.

· Negatives, short-term — Increasing illnesses, doctor visits, hospitalizations, death.

· Negatives, long-term — severe disabilities, death.

Bottomline: the Department of Health and Human Services’ reduction in recommended vaccines was WRONG.

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S. A. K. Arthur is the author of The Last Heir of Arthur and *I Am Yeshua,* available on Kindle and on Amazon