Some Iowa pediatricians are concerned about recent changes to childhood vaccine recommendations by federal officials.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced this week it will no longer broadly recommend vaccinations for children against six diseases. This includes the flu, rotavirus and hepatitis A and B.
Dr. Nathan Boonstra, a general pediatrician in Des Moines, says he’s concerned about the lack of transparency and scientific evidence behind the change.
“It’s just unfortunate that now families are going to get mixed messages,” Boonstra says, “and that adds to confusion, adds to the hesitancy.”
Federal officials say the shots should be for high risk children or those who determine with their physician that they are necessary. Boonstra says the changes are worrying and they’ll confuse parents.
“That can only lead to increased hesitancy, to decreased uptake of these vaccines,” he says, “which would then lead to increased cases and outbreaks of these diseases, some of which are very dangerous.”
Federal officials say the vaccine schedule in the U.S. now better aligns with peer nations and that all vaccines will continue to be available and covered by insurance.
