LEXINGTON, Ky. — Kentucky’s top health official is urging residents to disregard new federal vaccine recommendations and consult their doctors instead.
Dr. Steven Stack, secretary of the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services, criticized guidance from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released this week, saying it “is not based in science or fact” and has confused the public.
The federal guidance, issued by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., removed recommendations for several childhood vaccines, including hepatitis A and B, meningococcal disease, rotavirus, and the flu. It also reduced the HPV vaccine recommendation from two doses to one. Kennedy said the changes align U.S. policies with countries that require fewer shots.
Stack warned that the federal changes have already decreased vaccination rates and endangered public health. He stressed that school vaccination requirements remain unchanged under state law and that families should follow local rules, which allow medical and religious exemptions.
Highlighting the benefits of vaccines still recommended in Kentucky, Stack noted that HPV vaccination can nearly eliminate cervical cancer. He also emphasized the dangers of meningococcal disease, which can kill 10–15% of infected children within 24 hours, and cited last month’s flu-related child death in Kentucky, part of 288 nationwide, 90% of whom were unvaccinated.
Stack said the state will continue advising Kentuckians to rely on guidance from medical professionals rather than federal recommendations.
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