California, Oregon and Washington form health alliance amid federal vaccine tensions

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(Reuters) -U.S. states of California, Oregon and Washington said on Wednesday they have launched a new health alliance to provide unified vaccine recommendations amid growing tensions over federal immunization policies and public health directives.

Under the West Coast Health Alliance, the states said they will make joint recommendations on who should receive vaccines, informed by national medical associations even if they diverge from federal guidance.

Separately, Florida on Wednesday announced plans to end all state vaccine mandates, including for children to attend schools.

Typically, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, a federal advisory body to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, advises on who should receive vaccines and at what intervals after the Food and Drug Administration approval.

“ACIP remains the scientific body guiding immunization recommendations in this country, and HHS will ensure policy is based on rigorous evidence and Gold Standard Science, not the failed politics of the pandemic,” a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services told Reuters.

U.S. health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s sweeping federal vaccine policy changes, including withdrawing COVID vaccine recommendations for pregnant women and healthy children in May, have prompted medical organizations and several states to formulate their own recommendations ahead of the fall immunization campaign to prevent loss of access to the shots.

Health experts, however, say that an alternative standard to the one set by the federal government could cause confusion among providers and patients.

“The dismantling of public health and dismissal of experienced and respected health leaders and advisors, along with the lack of using science, data and evidence to improve our nation’s health, are placing lives at risk,” said Erica Pan, California State Public Health Officer.

Last week, CDC chief Susan Monarez was fired less than a month into the role, which further sparked a major leadership upheaval at the nation’s top public health agency as four top officials resigned due to changes to its vaccine advisory board and other vaccine policies.

Kennedy fired all ACIP members in June whom he replaced with hand-picked advisers, including fellow anti-vaccine activists.

(Reporting by Mariam Sunny in Bengaluru; Editing by Vijay Kishore)