The thought of diseases resurfacing, due to lack of vaccination, is horrific for Dr. Elizabeth Murray.
“It's going to be shocking when all those diseases come back,” Murray said. “Because they haven't forgotten about us, even though we may have forgotten about them.”
Murray, a pediatrician at UR Medicine Golisano Children’s Hospital, recalls a time when she treated patients with rotavirus and meningitis — conditions prevented by two of the six vaccines that are no longer recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
"I don't want to learn more about them," Murray said. "I want kids to be healthy. I want them to be safe. I want them to go on to lead full, healthy, happy, productive lives and not be injured from these diseases."
The U.S. health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., said the changes were based on examining the success of other developed countries. But the New York state Department of Health on Tuesday confirmed that it will still require full immunization for children to attend school.
“Despite changes announced at the federal level, New York State’s long-standing, childhood vaccine requirements remain the same,” state Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald said in a news release.
McDonald said there was “no new science, safety data or discovery presented by the federal government” to warrant any changes to the state’s existing childhood vaccination policies.
Murray described the changes as disheartening, while she expressed empathy with parents who are already confused and skeptical about vaccine safety.
“Being a parent is hard enough. We don't need more things on parents' plates,” Murray said. “To now have more things that parents are potentially concerned about just doesn't seem helpful.”
State officials said there are also no changes to insurance coverage. Insurance companies are still willing to cover the vaccines.
Murray advises parents to contact their pediatrician with any questions regarding immunization.
