MEDIA STATEMENT
For Immediate Release: Tuesday, January 6, 2026
Contact: Kate Smith (ksmith@delamed.org)
STATEMENT: We Urge The United States Department of Health and Human Services and the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to Reconsider Overhaul of Childhood Immunization Schedule
Yesterday afternoon, the Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), Jim O’Neill, in his role as Acting Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), signed a memorandum that directs HHS and the CDC to review and revise the U.S. childhood immunization schedule. The action follows a directive from President Trump to “review international best practices” on vaccination, and consider aligning the U.S. childhood immunization schedule more closely with vaccine recommendations used in other developed countries. The memorandum signals a sharp change from decades of scientific practice and undermines the CDC’s traditional expert-driven advisory process.
The Immunization Coalition of Delaware is joined by the Delaware Academy of Medicine and Public Health in urging the public to continue listening to their clinicians about the importance of vaccinations.
“What works to protect a small, highly vaccinated population in countries with medical insurance for all cannot be extrapolated to the US, or even to a small state such as Delaware,” said Delaware Academy of Medicine and Public Health Executive Director Kate Smith, MD, MPH. “We are a large, heterogeneous, diverse population, and a large number of individuals are underinsured or lack access to primary care. This action will increase the number of children at risk for completely preventable diseases.”
“When federal leadership falters, states can and must lead,” states Academy President and ICD co-chair Stephen C. Eppes, MD.
By dismantling decades of evidence-based vaccine policy on the basis of political directives and comparisons to other countries unlike ours, our children’s health will be jeapordized. Our communities will be placed at further risk.
“Public trust in vaccination hinges on transparency and clear communication,” continues Dr. Smith. “Sudden shifts like this will only deepen confusion among parents and clinicians alike, at a time when the US is about to lose its measles elimination status due to ongoing outbreaks and at the peak of flu season. The US immunization schedules are based on the needs of the population of the US – not the populations of other countries. Copying another country’s schedule without its health and social infrastructure will not produce the same health outcomes.”
We urge the U.S. CDC to return to its mission of promoting sound science that protects the health of all Americans. If it does not, we will work to ensure Delawareans receive the protection they need.
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