“The Village of Park Forest is encouraging residents to rely on guidance from the Illinois Department of Public Health and the Cook County Department of Public Health,” said Park Forest Community Health Coordinator Adina McCollough. “Those recommendations are grounded in scientific evidence and long-standing public health practices that help keep children and our community safe.”
The CDC’s revised recommendations, announced Monday, reorganize childhood vaccines into three categories. Under the first category, the agency continues to recommend vaccines for diseases including diphtheria, tetanus, acellular pertussis (whooping cough), Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib), pneumococcal disease, polio, measles, mumps, rubella, varicella (chickenpox), and human papillomavirus (HPV). Some vaccines, such as the MMR shot, protect against multiple diseases.
A second category recommends that vaccines for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), hepatitis A, hepatitis B, dengue, and meningococcal ACWY and B be administered only to children in high-risk groups. In a third category, the CDC says vaccines including COVID-19, influenza, meningococcal disease, hepatitis A and hepatitis B should be decided through shared clinical decision-making between parents and physicians for children not considered high-risk.
Illinois health officials said the federal changes will not affect the state’s vaccination schedule. In a statement Tuesday, IDPH Director Dr. Sameer Vohra said Illinois will continue to issue recommendations based on scientific evidence.
“Illinois is focused on ensuring that our residents receive credible, transparent, scientific guidance,” Vohra said. “This announcement has no bearing on Illinois’ childhood vaccine recommendations, which are based on up-to-date scientific evidence.”
The changes follow a controversial December recommendation involving the timing of a child’s first hepatitis B vaccine. For more than 30 years, the CDC advised administering the first dose within 24 hours of birth.
This week, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced changes to federal guidance that would reduce the number of recommended childhood vaccines from 17 to 11. Public health officials have raised concerns that the changes were made outside the traditional, evidence-based review process and without consideration of decades of research demonstrating the safety and effectiveness of routine childhood immunization.
The Cook County Department of Public Health said it does not support the federal changes and continues to endorse vaccination schedules recommended by IDPH and the Illinois Immunization Advisory Committee.
McCollough said Park Forest residents with questions about childhood vaccines should consult their health care providers and rely on trusted public health sources.
“Our message is consistent with the state and county,” McCollough said. “Vaccination remains one of the most effective tools we have to protect children from serious, preventable diseases.”