RFK Jr.’s Vaccine Messaging Creates Historic Dip in Jab Uptake
The Daily Beast • • health
Key Points:
- Childhood flu vaccination rates are declining nationwide during a severe influenza season, continuing a multi-year downward trend.
- New federal guidance under the Trump administration, led by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., advises parents to consult doctors before vaccinating children, replacing the previous recommendation for universal flu shots in kids.
- CDC data shows a 1.5 percentage point drop in flu vaccine uptake among children aged 6 months to 17 years as of January 3 compared to last year, with some states like Oklahoma and South Carolina seeing increases, while others like Rhode Island and Massachusetts experienced sharp declines.
- Medical groups, including the American Medical Association, have criticized the changes in vaccine guidance, emphasizing the need for careful review and expressing concern that such scrutiny
