New Mexico bucks federal vaccine recommendations

New Mexico will not follow suit after the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services cut down the list of recommended childhood vaccines Monday.

“We know this is confusing for parents, but the science is clear — vaccines are safe, effective and save children’s lives,” Dr. Miranda Durham, chief medical officer for the New Mexico Department of Health, said in a statement.

The state Department of Health will continue to recommend vaccines for 18 diseases, including for flu, RSV and meningitis. HHS has dropped its recommended list of vaccines to cover 11 diseases. 

Despite the abbreviated list at the federal level, all childhood vaccinations will still be covered under the Vaccines for Children Program, Medicaid and private insurance, according to a news release from the New Mexico Department of Health. NMDOH does not anticipate a change in vaccine availability in New Mexico.

NMDOH is encouraging parents and caregivers to discuss vaccination decisions with their health care providers, using the American Academy of Pediatrics' immunization schedule as a guide. 

“President (Donald) Trump directed us to examine how other developed nations protect their children and to take action if they are doing better,” HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said in a statement. “After an exhaustive review of the evidence, we are aligning the U.S. childhood vaccine schedule with international consensus while strengthening transparency and informed consent.”

Kennedy believes the shorter list will rebuild trust in public health. HHS reviewed 20 other developed nations and determined that the U.S. is an outlier in the number of diseases and number of recommended doses in its childhood vaccine schedule.

Comparing vaccine schedules to other countries is like comparing apples and oranges, said Dr. Kristy Riniker, a family medicine doctor who serves as vice president of the New Mexico Academy of Family Physicians and on the Commission of Health of the Public for the American Academy of Family Physicians. The U.S. has different demographics, vaccine histories and immigration patterns from other countries, she said.

“It's one thing when you're in a small, isolated country, and it's a different thing when you're in a very large country with a lot of travel,” Riniker said.

The new federal schedule still includes:

•  The MMR vaccine for measles, mumps and rubella 
• DTaP for diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis or whooping cough 
• Polio
• Chickenpox
• Human papillomavirus, or HPV, although it reduces the number of recommended vaccine doses
• Hib, or haemophilus influenzae type B
• PCV, or pneumococcal conjugate vaccine 

The schedule drops broad vaccine recommendations for flu, rotavirus, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, meningococcal disease, RSV and COVID-19 — vaccines New Mexico will continue to recommend.

The New Mexico Pharmacists Association strongly supports NMDOH's decision to maintain full childhood vaccination recommendations, said Chief Executive Officer Lex Garcia.

"At a time when misinformation is creating confusion for parents, it is critical that public health policy remain guided by evidence, not politics," Garcia said. "Vaccines are safe, effective, and among the most successful public health tools we have."

In December, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended a six-month delay of the hepatitis B vaccine for infants, another change NMDOH did not follow.

“Making sure that everybody is vaccinated against hepatitis A and hepatitis B is actually really important,” Riniker said.

New Mexico is one of the states with a higher prevalence of hepatitis C cases, with 0.9 acute cases reported per 100,000 people in 2022. There is no vaccine for hepatitis C, and a co-infection with hepatitis A or B can make treatment more complicated.

Before routine vaccines, tens of thousands of children were hospitalized annually for rotavirus and 18,000 children contracted hepatitis B each year. While the CDC is still recommending RSV and flu vaccines for children who are considered high risk, 80% of children hospitalized for RSV have no underlying conditions, as do many of the kids hospitalized for flu every year, Riniker said.

The American Academy of Family Physicians and the American Academy of Pediatrics will also continue to recommend the full list of childhood vaccinations.

“We have published our own vaccine schedules based on scientific evidence rather than political will,” Riniker said.

New Mexicans seeking vaccinations can call their health care provider or the NMDOH Helpline at 1-833-SWNURSE (1-833-796-8773).