US medical groups issue joint vaccine guidance for flu, COVID-19, and RSV

This guidance, which varies by age group and other factors like pregnancy, aims to provide clear advice amidst delayed federal recommendations and perceived lack of confidence in the Trump administration's vaccine policies. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention typically updates vaccine recommendations annually, but this year the process has been disrupted by lawsuits concerning policy shifts under Health Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. Medical associations have expressed opposition to federal government actions under Kennedy, which they state contradict scientific consensus. The coalition cited an independent review by the University of Minnesota’s Vaccine Integrity Project, which found no new health concerns related to these vaccines.

The federal government has only issued guidance for the flu, extending its 2025 recommendations. AMA president-elect Sandra Fryhofer emphasized the need for clear, credible, and science-based vaccine recommendations for informed patient decisions. Vaccination rates in the US have declined since the Covid-19 pandemic due to misinformation.

Kennedy initiated an overhaul of vaccination policy last year, including ceasing to recommend the hepatitis B vaccine for all newborns and altering COVID-19 and mea