AMHERST, N.Y. (WKBW) — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's new recommendations that reduce childhood vaccines from 17 to 11 have sparked significant debate among Western New York area pediatricians, with some expressing serious concerns about prioritizing philosophy over science.
Dr. Rachel Kaufman, at Buffalo Pediatric Associates in Amherst, strongly opposes the changes, emphasizing the critical importance of maintaining comprehensive vaccination schedules.
"As a mother, as a doctor, as a scientist, I'm begging people to understand that to turn away from vaccines is to turn away from safety and health for your children," Dr. Kaufman stated.
The new federal regulations are similar to those currently in place in Denmark and still require vaccines for chickenpox, polio and measles. However, several vaccines have been removed from the mandatory list.
"Hepatitis B, Hepatitis A, flu, COVID, RSV, and meningococcal," Dr. Kaufman said, listing the vaccines no longer required under the new guidelines.
Dr. Kaufman emphasized that major medical organizations have not endorsed these changes.
"The American Academy of Pediatrics and countless other professional organizations of physicians and physician scientists have not recommended that we change," Dr. Kaufman explained.
Despite the controversy, some pediatric practices are adapting by offering parents more flexibility in vaccination schedules.
Alissa Lewandowski, practice manager at Southtowns Pediatrics, explained their approach.
"We're always a huge proponent of vaccines and the importance of vaccines," said Lewandowski. "However, we do give more leniency to parents to make the choice of whether or not they want to vaccinate or if they want a delayed vaccine schedule."
For parents concerned about administering multiple vaccines simultaneously, Southtowns Pediatrics offers combination options.
"We try to help minimize that. We use a combination vaccine for the baby vaccines called Vaxelis," Lewandowski said. “If you are a parent who wants less preservatives as well, putting a combination vaccine – the preservatives amount in that one vaccine – you're going to get less preservatives doing one-shot vaccine.”
Dr. Kaufman says she's seen healthy babies get deathly ill with RSV and argues vaccines have now made hospitalizations rare for children.
WATCH: Differing views on new CDC child vaccine recommendations
“I cannot tell you how many healthy, vibrant, beautiful, perfect babies I have seen get deathly ill with RSV, so to be a baby is to be at high risk," Dr. Kaufman said. "There isn't a safe way to be a baby and get RSV, and I have seen in my career, it go from RSV being this unstoppable force that harmed countless children every season to being something that's now rare for children to be hospitalized with that, that's enormous, that's amazing."
Lewandowski says she believes parents are pulled in different directions about who to trust. She recommends trusting your pediatrician.
“It's a combination of fear of overarching bodies – government, health care and putting things in your child's body do I listen to my doctor, do I listen to the government and their doctors, do I listen to this scientific research – when it comes down it – trusting your pediatrician because they're going to be the forefront of your direct child's health care,” said Lewandowski.
Despite the new flexibility some practices are offering, Dr. Kaufman continues to advocate for complete vaccination schedules, stressing their effectiveness in protecting children from serious diseases.
"I'm here to tell you that diseases can find your children no matter how much control you exert, and vaccines are the best way to keep them safe," Dr. Kaufman said. “These vaccines, they're incredibly powerful.”
The New York State Department of Health announced that the state's existing childhood vaccination policies, including school immunization requirements, remain unchanged after the U.S. reduced the number of vaccines it recommends for every child.
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