Opinion: RFK Jr.’s vaccine overhaul endangers Americans, especially students
RFK Jr.’s vaccine overhaul slashes suggested childhood shots from 17 to 11. Our columnist warns ignoring science and spreading misinformation will let measles, flu and hepatitis cases surge in the U.S. Abigail Aggarwala | Design Editor
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On Jan. 5, the Department of Health and Human Services announced an unprecedented overhaul of the U.S. childhood immunization schedule. The change dropped the number of universally recommended vaccinations from 17 to 11. Immunizations against illnesses such as hepatitis, influenza and meningitis are no longer recommended for all children.
The revised schedule, modeled after Denmark’s inoculation recommendations, has sparked backlash from health care organizations and experts alike. Institutions such as the American Public Health Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics are fighting to block these changes in court.
These adjustments come at a time of widespread distrust of both vaccines and modern medicine; fewer parents than ever agree with the CDC vaccine schedules, citing political influence as a primary factor. This alteration is meant to quell those fears, allowing increased parental control. But, applying the vaccine guidelines from a country like Denmark, whose population is only a fraction of the U.S., is a great risk.
Although the effects of the new vaccine schedule aren’t clear yet, we can examine the devastating impact of lower vaccination rates for other diseases.
The measles, mumps and rubella vaccine, known as MMR, is an immunization given to children in two doses: the first at ages 12 to 15 months, and the second at ages 4 to 6. Two doses are 97% effective against measles, and widespread vaccination was a primary factor in the elimination of the disease in 2000.
Today, there is an alarming decline in MMR immunization rates. During the 2024-2025 school year, 16 states reported kindergarten vaccination rates below 90%, far short of the Healthy People target of 95%.
Zoey Grimes | Design Editor
As parents exempt their children from the MMR immunization, measles cases have surged. In 2025 alone, the U.S. reported more than 2,000 cases, a terrifying jump from 285 in 2024. MMR doses have saved more than 90 million people globally. The increase in measles cases we see today must be taken as a warning sign.
Students on college campuses are also at risk. Students in primary school and secondary education often struggle with spats of illness due to the extreme number of shared spaces. Viruses such as influenza spread swiftly through schools and removing these recommendations can downplay the severity of these diseases that can often be deadly.
Hepatitis, influenza and meningitis outbreaks have all been curbed by widespread vaccination, and the idea that America is over-vaccinated and over-medicated is a fallacy based on misinformation from groups such as Make America Healthy Again and Children’s Health Defense.
The slow yet consistent shift in public opinion spells a dangerous road ahead. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the figurehead of the MAHA initiative, has made his stance on vaccinations in America clear: Americans are over-vaccinated and vaccines directly contribute to autism.
“After an exhaustive review of the evidence, we are aligning the U.S. childhood vaccine schedule with international consensus while strengthening transparency and informed consent,” Kennedy said.
These changes didn’t go through the traditional review, bypassing the requisite evaluation by health experts and skirting public debate held by ACIP.
The irony of RFK Jr.’s comment shouldn’t be lost on anyone, as the man spreading medical misinformation pledges transparency to the American people. This has become an issue that has risen above the left versus right mindset we seem unable to escape. It has become a matter of public safety, with diseases previously deemed eliminated finding their way back into the modern world at a time many consider the golden age of vaccine development.
These immunizations are an extraordinary and necessary development in modern medicine. Childhood vaccinations, in particular, save more than 2 million lives annually. Immunizations reduce infant deaths by 40% globally and have played an essential role in increasing life expectancy.
As misinformation continues to plague our social media apps and internet forums, vaccination rates will continue to plummet. We must take into account where our healthcare advice is coming from. Figures, such as RFK Jr., who lack professional healthcare experience are not trustworthy; taking their advice at face value could be detrimental to the entire country.
This administration has proved its indifference to the American people, and without change, we will continue to see rising infant mortality rates and the resurgence of once contained diseases.
James Reed is a freshman studying political science. He can be reached at jcreed@syr.edu.
