JULY 30, 2026
Pediatricians and local health officials turn to alternative vaccine guidance sources as trust in CDC erodes
On January 5, the CDC removed several vaccines — including those for rotavirus, COVID-19, influenza, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and meningococcal disease — from its recommended childhood vaccine schedule. Major medical groups including the American Academy of Pediatrics opposed the change, and in March a federal judge ordered the administration to revert to previous guidelines; the administration has appealed. Some pediatricians and local public health departments have since begun directing patients away from the CDC and toward independent and professional medical organizations for vaccine guidance.
Dr. John Snyder, a pediatrician with 30 years of practice in Amherst, Massachusetts, said the CDC had long served as the authoritative source for public health and infectious disease information for clinicians worldwide. That standing, he said, changed after President Trump returned to office and nominated Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — a longtime vaccine skeptic — to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees the CDC.
Kennedy, after his confirmation as HHS secretary, dismissed every member of the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices and replaced them with new appointees, some of whom hold prominent vaccine-skeptical views. The CDC subsequently removed six vaccines from its recommended childhood schedule on January 5, a move the American Academy of Pediatrics and other major medical organizations opposed. A federal judge ordered the administration to reinstate the prior guidelines in March; the administration has appealed.
Snyder's practice, Amherst Pediatrics, updated its website to state that "the CDC is no longer considered to be a reliable or legitimate source of information," directing families instead to their own doctor, the state of Massachusetts, or nongovernmental medical bodies. Snyder described the situation as "shocking." The practice still distributes CDC-branded information sheets to patients, as required by law — a disconnect Snyder said has been "a source of heated discussion" internally.