by Donald Eng
HARTFORD, CT — Medical decisions should be made based on science, not conspiracy theories, Gov. Ned Lamont said Tuesday.
Lamont responded to the announcement by U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is overhauling the childhood vaccine schedule by eliminating vaccinations for several diseases. The changes weakened the recommendations for flu, rotavirus, meningococcal disease and hepatitis A.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated this week that the flu has killed about 5,000 people so far this season.
“For generations, these vaccinations have successfully limited the spread of contagious diseases, diminished their impacts, and kept the public safe and healthy,” Lamont said. “There is no legitimate medical rationale for changing course now. Modifying this national guidance will just create more confusion and anxiety among parents. It will also place more burdens on doctors and medical professionals, and at worst it will endanger the health of children.”
Public Health Commissioner Manisha Juthani agreed, citing “serious concerns” about the changes.
“While doctors already work with parents to talk through the benefits and risks of vaccines, clear national guidance has helped families make informed decisions with confidence,” she said. “Scaling back those recommendations risks creating confusion, placing more burden on parents and clinicians, and making preventive care harder to navigate.”
Juthani and Lamont said Connecticut would “continue to support evidence-based recommendations designed to protect children and the communities we serve.”
State Senate leaders, Democrats Saud Anwar of South Windsor, Majority Leader Bob Duff of Norwalk and President Martin Looney of New Haven also commented on the changes. The three in a Monday statement said the haphazard guidance coming out of Washington, D.C. is “divorced from reality” and said it would contribute to the spread of illness, making the state less safe.
The main objection from the three is the new requirement that parents who want their children vaccinated against the flu, COVID and rotavirus consult with a health provider.
“Requiring parents to schedule annual doctor’s appointments for the sole purpose of getting their children vaccinated against common seasonal illnesses is needlessly complicated, even more so as flu is raging throughout Connecticut right now,” they wrote. “The more hoops parents have to jump through for childhood vaccinations, the fewer children will be protected against viruses that can cause serious health complications.”