US pediatricians' new COVID-19 shot recommendations differ from CDC advice
The group's new COVID-19 recommendations — released Tuesday — come amid a tumultuous year for public health, as vaccine skeptics have come into power in the new Trump administration and government guidance has become increasingly confusing.
This isn't going to help, acknowledged Dr. James Campbell, vice chair of the AAP infectious disease committee.
'It is going to be somewhat confusing. But our opinion is we need to make the right choices for children to protect them,' he added.
The AAP is strongly recommending COVID-19 shots for children ages 6 months to 2 years. Shots also are advised for older children if parents want their kids vaccinated, the AAP said.
That differs from guidance established under U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., which doesn't recommend the shots for healthy children of any age but says kids may get the shots in consultation with physicians.
Children ages 6 months to 2 years are at high risk for severe illness from COVID-19, and it was important that recommendations continue to emphasize the need for them to get vaccinated, said Campbell, a University of Maryland infectious diseases expert.
Vaccinations also are recommended for older children who have chronic lung diseases or other conditions that put them at higher risk for severe disease, the AAP said.
The 95-year-old Itasca, Illinois-based organization has issued vaccination recommendations for children since the 1930s. In 1995, it synced its advice with recommendations made by the federal government's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
There have been a few small differences between AAP and CDC recommendations since then. For example, the AAP has advised that children get HPV vaccinations starting at age 9; the CDC says that's OK but has emphasized vaccinations at ages 11 and 12.
But in 30 years, this is the first time the recommendations have differed 'in a significant or substantial way,' Campbell said.
Until recently, the CDC — following recommendations by infectious disease experts — has been urging annual COVID-19 boosters for all Americans ages 6 months and older.
But in May, U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced that COVID-19 vaccines are no longer recommended for healthy children and pregnant women. A few days later, the CDC issued language that healthy children may get the shots, but that there was no longer a 'should' recommendation.
The idea that healthy older kids may be able to skip COVID-19 boosters has been brewing for some time among public health experts. As the COVID-19 pandemic has waned, experts have increasingly discussed the possibility of focusing vaccination efforts on people 65 and older — who are among those most as risk for death and hospitalization.
A CDC expert panel in June was set to make recommendations about the fall shots. Among the options the panel was considering was whether suggest shots for high-risk groups but still giving lower-risk people the choice to get vaccinated.
But Kennedy bypassed the group, and also decided to dismiss the 17-member panel and appoint his own, smaller panel, that included vaccine skeptics. Kennedy also later excluded the AAP, the American Medical Association and other top medical organizations from working with the advisers to establish vaccination recommendations.
Kennedy's new vaccine panel has yet to vote on COVID-19 shot recommendations.
The panel did endorse continuing to recommend fall flu vaccinations, but also made a decision that led to another notable difference with the AAP.
The new advisory panel voted that people should only get flu vaccines that are packaged as single doses and do not contain the preservative thimerosal.
The AAP said there is no evidence of harm from the preservative, and recommended doctors use any licensed flu vaccine product that's appropriate for the patient.
___
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
8 minutes ago
- Yahoo
The FDA Is Warning People Not To Eat Possibly Radioactive Shrimp, And Everyone's Making Jokes About It
If you love eating shrimp, you might want to take a seat for what I'm about to tell you. ABC News reports that the FDA is warning the general American public not to eat, sell, or serve certain types of Great Value raw frozen shrimp sold at Walmart — because it may be radioactive. Yes, really. How did we get here? Well, according to an FDA press release, the shrimp in question "appears to have been prepared, packed, or held under insanitary conditions whereby it may have become contaminated with Cs-137 and may pose a safety concern." Cs-137, if you're not a dang chemist, is short for Cesium-137, a radioactive isotope. Related: If you want to know whether your shrimp is safe, you can head here to get all the details. But let's face it — you're here for the jokes people are making online, and there are more of them than there are shrimp in the sea: @pblest / Via @hedlike_a_hole / Via Related: @bungled_fiasco / Disney / Via @youwouldntpost / Via @MikeBeauvais / Via Related: @aintn0 / Fox / Via @SopranosWorld / Via @geeta_minocha / Via @_JiggityJohnson / Via Related: @_Yesternow_ / Via @DaveMcNamee3000 / Via @no_one__wins / Via Stay safe out there, shellfish fiends... Also in In the News: Also in In the News: Also in In the News:
Yahoo
8 minutes ago
- Yahoo
New Medicare program offers much-needed relief for caregivers of dementia patients
A new Medicare program covering services for at-home nursing care for dementia patients has received the green light to expand nationwide following a yearlong pilot program. It's a first for Medicare, spotlighting the needs of the more than 11 million unpaid family caregivers of people with dementia. The voluntary program, called GUIDE (Guiding an Improved Dementia Experience), initially started with a Biden administration executive order to test a new model focused on dementia care that pays for some family caregiver support. 'For unpaid caregivers, who face not only difficult care responsibilities and decisions, but also serious financial consequences with few opportunities for help with training or short-term respite breaks, the program is a significant start,' Cindy Hounsell, founder and president of the Women's Institute for a Secure Retirement (WISER), told Yahoo Finance. Approximately two-thirds of dementia caregivers are women, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data. The GUIDE program is now offered in 45 states — all but Alaska, the Dakotas, Kansas, and Mississippi — and includes roughly 330 Medicare-participating providers, including large academic medical centers, hospital health systems, small group practices, community-based organizations, and hospice agencies. The initiative has been approved for an eight-year run. More than 6.9 million people in the US are living with dementia stemming from a range of diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, according to a 2024 report from the National Institutes of Health. As the population in the US ages, cases are expected to jump to nearly 14 million by 2060. Most people with dementia in the US live at home. About 8 in 10 adults with dementia live in their homes with spouses or other family members, according to the CDC. How it works Eligible patients must be enrolled in Medicaid or original Medicare — not Medicare Advantage. To qualify, patients must have a diagnosis of moderate to severe dementia and not live in an assisted care facility, nursing home, or be receiving hospice care. They must also be patients of a participating provider. The program pays up to $2,500 each year per beneficiary for respite benefits, which cover the cost for in-home caregivers, overnight care, or adult day care. Last year, the national median pay for home health and personal care aides was $16.78 per hour. Translation: the program could cover 148 hours of in-home care, giving family caregivers a chance to take a break. The program doesn't provide Medicare patients with the funds to directly pay these caregivers who step in to lend a hand. It provides Medicare payments to those provider organizations that, in turn, cover the caregiver's pay. In addition, the program includes round-the-clock access to a support line to connect directly to a licensed nurse who can answer questions. This is particularly useful in case of emergencies and can defray a hospital visit in some cases, Hounsell said. Many family caregivers aren't trained to handle medical or nursing tasks such as managing catheters, performing injections, or monitoring vital signs. To address this gap, the new Medicare initiative provides access to caregiver training and education. Sign up for the Mind Your Money weekly newsletter By subscribing, you are agreeing to Yahoo's Terms and Privacy Policy Savings are two-fold Ideally, the program will cut costs for Medicare in fewer emergency room visits and short-term hospital stays for those with dementia. For families of those with dementia, the end goal is to help those patients stay at home longer and avoid the high cost of assisted care or nursing homes, which can be a massive drain on a family's finances. It often comes as a shock to people that Medicare doesn't cover the cost of long-term care facilities, which can quickly top tens of thousands of dollars. An apartment in an assisted-living facility had an average rate of $74,148 a year in 2024, according to the National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care — and costs go up as residents age and need more care. Units for dementia patients can run more than $94,000. 'Alternative payment models like this are critical to helping individuals remain in the setting of their choice,' said Mollie Gurian, vice president for policy and government affairs at LeadingAge, an association of nonprofit providers of aging services. 'These participating providers understand the complexity of caring for older adults with dementia and recognize that family and friends are essential members of the care team.' Kerry Hannon is a Senior Columnist at Yahoo Finance. She is a career and retirement strategist and the author of 14 books, including the forthcoming "Retirement Bites: A Gen X Guide to Securing Your Financial Future," "In Control at 50+: How to Succeed in the New World of Work," and "Never Too Old to Get Rich." Follow her on Bluesky. Sign up for the Mind Your Money newsletter Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
8 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Leading Pediatrics Group Breaks With CDC Over COVID-19 Shots For Kids
The American Academy of Pediatrics on Tuesday released an evidence-based immunization schedule that, for the first time in 30 years, is not aligned with recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Unlike the CDC, which under Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. no longer recommends routine COVID-19 vaccination for children, the AAP is recommending all children ages 6-23 months should get a 2025-26 COVID shot. The group said CDC data supports the finding, even if the CDC itself does not. Data shows COVID-19 hospitalizations for children under the age of 2 are currently comparable to people between the ages of 50-64 years, and are the highest among all pediatric groups. More than half of children under the age of 2 hospitalized with COVID-19 didn't have an underlying medical condition. 'It's clear that we're in a different place in the pandemic than we were four or five years ago in terms of risks to healthy older kids,' said Sean T. O'Leary, M.D., M.P.H., FAAP, chair of the AAP Committee on Infectious Diseases (COID) in a release. Related: However, 'the risk of hospitalization for young children and those with high-risk conditions remains pretty high.' The AAP recommends children between the ages of 2 and 18 get vaccinated if: Related: They're at high risk of severe COVID-19 They spend time in settings with lots of other people, especially long-term care facilities They've never been vaccinated against COVID-19 Other people in their household are at high risk of COVID-19 Other children who don't fall into those risk groups should also still strongly consider getting vaccinated. 'The guidance differs from that of the CDC, which no longer recommends routine COVID vaccination for healthy children,' AAP acknowledged in a statement. The pediatrics advocacy group criticized the CDC approach, which does permit vaccination after a discussion with a health care provider, for essentially making no recommendation at all. Related: 'Shared clinical decision-making can be difficult to implement because it lacks clear guidance,' AAP said, 'and does not emphasize the importance of vaccinating people at high risk of severe disease.' Federal guidance on vaccinations has faced tremendous scrutiny after President Donald Trump tapped RFK Jr. to oversee U.S. health policy. In June, the prominent vaccine skeptic fired all 17 members of the Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices and replaced them with vaccine critics and conspiracy theorists. Major health groups, including the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Physicians, have since sued HHS over its 'unlawful' COVID-19 policies. RFK Jr. also canceled half a billion dollars' worth of research projects because they're based on the same mRNA technology that saved millions of lives during the COVID-19 pandemic. Related... RFK Jr. Refuses To Blame Misinformation As Driving Force Behind CDC Shooting RFK Jr. Drops All Members Of U.S. Vaccine Advisory Panel Former Surgeon General Horrified By RFK Jr.'s Latest Shocking Move RFK Jr. Cancels $500 Million In Funding For Vaccine Development
