American Academy of Pediatrics recommends children as young as six months and up to 23 months get the shot<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is urging that children as young as six months and up to 23 months receive the Covid-19 vaccine \u2013 a position that diverges from the current federal guidance given by the Trump administration<\/a>\u2019s health agencies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The AAP released its updated childhood immunization schedule, which outlines recommendations for vaccines against Covid-19, influenza and RSV for individuals under 18.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt differs from recent recommendations of the advisory committee on immunization practices of the CDC, which was overhauled this year and replaced with individuals who have a history of spreading vaccine misinformation,\u201d the organization said in a statement<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The announcement follows a decision from the health and human services secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr, in late May to halt CDC recommendations<\/a> for healthy children to receive the Covid-19 vaccine. Previously, the CDC advised vaccination for everyone six months and older with the latest available dose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The CDC currently advises that Covid-19 vaccinations for children aged six months through 17 years should be determined through \u201cshared clinical decision-making\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The AAP recommends vaccination for anyone under 18 who is at higher risk of serious illness from Covid-19, resides in a long-term care or congregate living facility, has not previously been vaccinated or shares a household with someone at elevated risk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe academy has been making pediatric immunization recommendations since the 1930s. That has not changed,\u201d Dr Susan Kressly, president of the AAP, told ABC News<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBut what has changed is that this year, we\u2019re doing it in the environment of misinformation, which makes it more important than ever that we provide clear and confident guidance, because the majority of American families really depend on us for this guidance.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The AAP says infants and toddlers between six and 23 months face the greatest risk for severe outcomes from Covid-19 and vaccination offers protection against serious illness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Even as medical groups continue to disagree with federal agencies, insurers often base coverage<\/a> on guidelines from the CDC\u2019s advisory committee on immunization practices (ACIP). If ACIP declines to endorse a vaccine, families may have to pay out of pocket, and the shot may not be provided through the federally funded Vaccines for Children program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The US Department of Health<\/a> & Human Services (HHS) communications director, Andrew Nixon, responded to the AAP\u2019s updated recommendations with the following statement:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe American people deserve confidence that medical recommendations are based solely on science and public health. We call on the AAP to strengthen conflict-of-interest safeguards and keep its publications free from financial influence, ensuring every recommendation reflects only the best interests of America\u2019s children. Instead, the AAP is undermining national immunization policymaking with baseless political attacks.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The statement continues: \u201cSecretary Kennedy has stood firm in his commitment to science, transparency, and restoring public trust. By bypassing the CDC\u2019s advisory process and freelancing its own recommendations, while smearing those who demand accountability, the AAP is putting commercial interests ahead of public health and politics above America\u2019s children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kennedy also responded, posting on social media<\/a> on Tuesday a screenshot from the AAP\u2019s website that listed corporate donors<\/a> to the Friends of Children Fund, an AAP program that directs donations to pediatric health projects. Kennedy accused the group of failing to sufficiently disclose conflicts of interest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAAP is angry that CDC has eliminated corporate influence in decisions over vaccine recommendations and returned CDC to gold-standard science and evidence-based medicine laser-focused on children\u2019s health,\u201d Kennedy wrote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He went on to accuse the AAP\u2019s vaccine recommendation list of being \u201ccorporate-friendly\u201d and added: \u201cAAP should follow the lead of HHS and disclose conflicts of interest, including its corporate entanglements and those of its journal\u2013Pediatrics\u2013so that Americans may ask whether the AAP\u2019s recommendations reflect public health interest, or are, perhaps, just a pay-to-play scheme to promote commercial ambitions of AAP\u2019s Big Pharma benefactors.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kennedy\u2019s restructured vaccine panel has maintained support for annual flu shots but voted to limit<\/a> them to single-dose formulations without the preservative thimerosal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The AAP, however, maintains that the preservative poses no risk<\/a> and says physicians should administer any approved flu vaccine suitable for the patient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n