1. United States
2. Wash.
3. Letter

I am writing to urge you to oppose the US Department of Health and Human Services' plan to modify the childhood vaccine schedule to require shared clinical decision-making for routine vaccinations. This policy change, which would mandate consultation with healthcare providers before children receive flu shots, threatens to reduce vaccine access during the worst flu season in over 20 years. The timing of this proposal is dangerous. The CDC reports that 8.2% of doctor visits are currently for flu-like symptoms, the highest level since the 1997-98 season. At least 11 million Americans have contracted flu this season, resulting in 120,000 hospitalizations and 5,000 deaths, including nine children. Nearly every state is experiencing high or very high flu activity as the new subclade K strain spreads rapidly. Childhood flu vaccination rates have already dropped dramatically, from 53% in 2019-20 to just 42% this season. Adding bureaucratic barriers will only worsen this decline. Dr. Sean O'Leary of the American Academy of Pediatrics called this timing "tone-deaf" given the severity of the current outbreak. Massachusetts Public Health Commissioner Dr. Robbie Goldstein reports that hospitals are under capacity strain and families are grieving devastating losses. The proposed requirement for shared clinical decision-making creates unnecessary obstacles for parents trying to protect their children. Flu vaccines are proven safe and effective at preventing serious illness. Making them harder to access during a public health crisis contradicts basic disease prevention principles. I ask you to publicly oppose this policy change and work to ensure families maintain easy access to childhood flu vaccines. Dr. Michael Osterholm from the University of Minnesota predicts substantial flu activity will continue for another 3-4 weeks. Every day matters when children's lives are at stake. Please act now to protect access to lifesaving vaccines.