Neronha Fights 7 CDC Childhood Vaccine Approval Reversals

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Attorney General Peter F. Neronha has joined a coalition of 14 attorneys general and the Governor of Pennsylvania in a lawsuit challenging the Trump Administration’s reversal of “recommended” vaccine status for seven childhood immunizations.

A Jan. 5, 2026 CDC “Decision Memo” stripped seven childhood vaccines protecting against rotavirus, meningococcal disease, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, influenza, COVID-19, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)—of their universally recommended status. According to the Rhode Island Department of Health, the change did not follow established procedures for vaccine recommendations.

‘This change also creates confusion for families already trying to navigate a complex system and sows doubt about the effectiveness and science behind vaccines. Historically, the U.S. childhood immunization schedule has been updated regularly based on rigorous, expert-driven risk-benefit analysis of new data. These latest recommendations threaten to leave the American public, especially children, more vulnerable to preventable illness and death,” RIDOH stated.

Childhood Vaccine Schedule Remains Unchanged In Rhode Island

The change does not affect vaccine access or insurance coverage in Rhode Island. Additionally, Rhode Island’s school immunization schedule is not affected by this change. All current immunization requirements for school and childcare attendance remain in effect, and schools should continue to follow existing state regulations and guidance issued by RIDOH. Rhode Island’s statewide vaccine policies are grounded in the best available science, data, and evidence-based public health practice. They are an important part of efforts to keep children in the classroom, learning, RIDOH stated in response to the change.

“Early childhood vaccinations protect children when they’re most vulnerable. They protect against illnesses that can have devastating effects on children,” said Director of Health Jerry Larkin, MD. “Rhode Island has some of the best childhood vaccination rates in the country because we make vaccine access a priority, and because we base our recommendations on science and data. The science and data are clear – vaccines save lives.”

RIDOH) and the Northeast Public Health Collaborative continue to recommend the American Academy of Pediatrics’ (AAP) Recommended Child and Adolescent Immunization Schedule (PDF).

Joining Neronha in filing this lawsuit are the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Wisconsin, and the Governor of Pennsylvania.

The AGs’ complaint names Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Acting Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Jay Bhattacharya, and the CDC and HHS as defendants. It challenges the CDC “Decision Memo” as well as the unlawful replacement of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), the expert federal panel that has guided U.S. vaccine policy for decades.

In June 2025, Secretary Kennedy abruptly fired all 17 ACIP voting members and replaced them with individuals who lack the scientific qualifications required by ACIP’s own charter and the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA). At least nine of the 13 current ACIP members lack the expertise or professional qualifications required for the role, and a majority have publicly expressed views aligned with Secretary Kennedy’s well-documented opposition to vaccines.

In December 2025, the reconstituted ACIP reversed nearly thirty years of CDC policy by eliminating the recommendation for a universal hepatitis B birth dose—a vaccine that is up to 90 percent effective in preventing perinatal infection when administered within 24 hours of birth. Shortly thereafter, the CDC expanded its ideological attack on routine childhood vaccines. On January 5, 2026, then-Acting CDC Director Jim O’Neill—who has no medical or scientific background—signed off on a “Decision Memo” that demoted seven vaccines from the universally recommended childhood vaccination schedule to a lesser status that invites confusion and uncertainty.

The Decision Memo is not based on any new scientific evidence, any recommendation by a lawfully constituted ACIP, or any systematic review of the available data. Instead, it relied primarily on superficial comparisons to purported “peer countries”—particularly Denmark—while ignoring the fundamental differences between those nations and the United States, as well as the overwhelming evidence supporting the effectiveness of the CDC’s pre-Kennedy childhood immunization schedule, Neronha’s office pointed out in its statement about their legal challenge to Kennedy’s changes to vaccine guidance under the Trump Administration.

 “Additionally, in contrast to countries like Denmark with universal healthcare, more than 100 million Americans lack usual access to primary care, making the instruction to “discuss vaccines with your clinician” essentially meaningless,” Neronha said.

He added that lower vaccination rates will  lead directly to higher rates of infectious disease. For Rhode Island and other states, this means a greater strain on their Medicaid programs and public health systems, more time and money spent combatting outbreaks and misinformation, and wasted resources decoupling state laws, regulations, and public guidance from ACIP’s and CDC’s now-untrustworthy recommendations.

Also, “The actions taken by ACIP, HHS, and the CDC are likely to increase vaccine hesitancy in Rhode Island, increasing the risk of vaccine-preventable illness at significant cost to the State. Further, these actions impose significant costs on Rhode Island, which relies heavily on the ACIP’s recommendations to inform its own vaccine policy,” Neronha said.

Contrary to Secretary Kennedy’s misinformation and insinuation, vaccines previously recommended on the CDC’s pre-Kennedy childhood immunization schedule remain safe and effective, and they are critical for protecting America’s children and public health at large.

The plaintiff states are asking the court to declare the Kennedy Schedule and the Kennedy ACIP appointments unlawful, and to enjoin, vacate, and set aside both the new immunization schedule and the unlawful appointments.

Author: Rob Borkowski

Rob has worked as reporter and editor for several publications, including The Kent County Daily Times and Coventry Courier, before working for Gatehouse in MA then moving home with Patch Media. Now he's publisher and editor of WarwickPost.com. Contact him at editor@warwickpost.com with tips, press releases, advertising inquiries, and concerns.