STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
A medical group challenging the Centers for Disease Control on vaccine policy is the American Academy of Pediatrics. It sued the CDC in July, seeking to halt changes to guidelines for COVID-19 shots, and it issued its own guidance that differs from the CDC's. The AAP has also not participated in this week's review of the childhood vaccine schedule. Dr. Susan Kressly is the group's president, and she is participating here. Good morning.
SUSAN KRESSLY: Good morning. Thanks for having me.
INSKEEP: OK, given your skepticism of what they're doing and that vaccine skeptics are in charge, the first day's work at this committee seems not to have been really that dramatic. They said, get some vaccines separately instead of all together. Does it seem like a minor change to you, though?
KRESSLY: It seems like an unnecessary, unhelpful, at the best, and potentially very harmful outcome at the worst. And let's start with the process. It's not a legitimate process. The HHS secretary removed all of the work groups. There were very expert-led work groups that took deep dives into data on every vaccine in previous iterations of the ACIP where they really looked at it, had robust, transparent discussions, and that work group was then the group that presented the information to the full ACIP for review and for voting. That didn't happen. So this is not a legitimate process. There's been actual lack of factual data presented that led to recommendations. It's not been discussed in that robust, transparent way. There's no real transparency to the decisions. And so the whole process is really not fact based and should not be trusted. While these...
INSKEEP: Just so...
KRESSLY: ...Recommendations - go ahead.
INSKEEP: Yeah, just so we're clear, you said ACIP. That's, of course, the committee that we're discussing here.
KRESSLY: Correct.
INSKEEP: So you're saying they threw out the scientific processes, fine. They're skeptical. But they've replaced them with nothing is what you're saying?
KRESSLY: That's correct. They replaced them with people - if you listen to the transcript, there were non-experts who actually didn't understand the science and often couldn't even pronounce the words that they were reading.
INSKEEP: Are there consequences for parents, given that most parents already get their - have their kids get these shots separately?
KRESSLY: The biggest consequence is that they have now created questions from parents, and it goes far beyond this vaccine. So the way I'm thinking about this today is, how can I help worried parents in my exam room? And I would start by advising them that parents and pediatricians are partners in making decisions about their children's health. And it's confusing when people start to interject doubt into what was already a very trusted, credible process. And to me, this just further underscores how relevant the AAP is to both pediatricians and parents across the country. We have clear guidance grounded in science, and thankfully and gratefully, that won't change based on what happened yesterday, today or any day in the future.
INSKEEP: Did you always or nearly always follow the CDC recommendations in previous years?
KRESSLY: Yes, and let's be clear, the AAP created pediatric immunization recommendations for over 90 years, and we actually were doing it before the ACIP did. The ACIP was formalized, and we still always have created our own schedule. And so the schedule that we created was not in response to what is happening now. It's always been part of the process. Most times we agree because we shared expertise and robust discussions and came to the same data-based conclusions. That is no longer happening because of all of the firings of the experts and the non-transparent way this is being conducted. Sometimes we differed a little bit, but it was usually around subtle things about which flu vaccine was preferred. But we no longer believe this process is credible, and so the outcomes cannot be trusted.
INSKEEP: We think about the situation now for doctors and patients, for parents and children. I suppose the pediatrician that I would take my kid to see, now we'll have to decide, do I go with the CDC's version of events or the American Academy of Pediatrics, or maybe the State of California or maybe somebody else? Is that going to be the doctor's decision about what to recommend to the parent?
KRESSLY: So I have to say that many people, including pediatricians across the country are standing up to keep children safe and healthy, and that includes most of the House of Medicine, payers and state leaders. So what we're hearing across the country from our members and from others is that they are looking to and using the American Academy of Pediatric recommendations because it is trusted and science based. We can't and won't allow a few loud voices that don't have children as their North Star deter us from our mission of a healthy tomorrow for every child.
INSKEEP: OK. Bigger decisions ahead on hepatitis B and COVID. We'll continue covering them, but we'll stop for now. Dr. Susan Kressly is president of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Thanks so much.
KRESSLY: Thank you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
