Pediatricians and health officials are sidestepping Trump's CDC on vaccine advice
Pediatricians are increasingly bypassing the CDC for vaccine guidance following the appointment of vaccine skeptics to leadership roles under the Trump administration. Doctors report a loss of trust in the agency, leading them to seek alternative sources for public health information.
Why it matters
The erosion of trust in a primary public health institution complicates medical practice and could impact national immunization efforts.
Dr. John Snyder, in Amherst, Mass., has been practicing pediatrics for 30 years. Whenever he wanted to find the most up-to-date research on treating young patients, he would turn to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
If he wanted to learn more about an outbreak of measles or hantavirus, he would pore over the weekly CDC report that came by email.
This story was produced in partnership with KFF Health News .
If a patient's family was traveling to Africa or Asia, he would check the latest CDC vaccine recommendations for overseas travel.
And if family members at his practice in Amherst, Mass., expressed worries about potential side effects from a shot, he could always send them to the CDC's website to bolster his argument to get the immunization.
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