Democratic-led states sue the Trump administration for scaling back recommended pediatric vaccines, arguing the move is unscientific and dangerous.

LOS ANGELES: Fifteen Democratic-run US states are suing the administration of President Donald Trump over its decision to reduce the number of universally recommended pediatric vaccines.

The lawsuit, announced on Tuesday, targets a reform unveiled in January by the US Department of Health and Human Services, led by long-time vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

The policy change means the country no longer recommends every child receive immunizations against seven diseases, including rotavirus, influenza and Covid-19.

Instead, the vaccines are now recommended only for children deemed at particular risk, a move that upends decades of scientific guidance.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta, leading the suit with his Arizona counterpart, criticised the policy at a press conference.

“Secretary RFK Jr. and his CDC are flouting decades of scientific research, ignoring credible medical experts, and threatening to strain state resources and make America’s children sicker,” Bonta said.

Kennedy is named as a defendant alongside the CDC and the Department of Health and Human Services.

The other vaccines stripped of their universally recommended status are for hepatitis A, meningococcal disease, respiratory syncytial virus and hepatitis B.

The Trump administration justified the change by stating it was aligning US policy with other countries, citing Denmark as an example.

Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes argued this comparison was flawed.

“Copying Denmark’s vaccine schedule without copying Denmark’s health care system doesn’t give families more options — it just leaves kids unprotected from serious diseases,” Mayes said.

The reorientation has raised significant concerns within the medical community about a potential resurgence of preventable diseases.

Vaccine skepticism has risen in the United States since Trump returned to the presidency 13 months ago, with vaccination rates declining since the Covid pandemic.

California Governor Gavin Newsom, a fierce Trump critic, strongly condemned the administration’s move in a statement.

“California is going back to court because the Trump administration is violating federal law and pushing a reckless, unscientific childhood vaccine schedule that puts kids’ lives at risk,” Newsom said.

The 58-year-old Democrat warned that undermining vaccine confidence would lead to lower vaccination rates and more infectious disease cases.

Other states joining the lawsuit include Colorado, Michigan, New Jersey and Wisconsin.

 The Sun Malaysia