Washington DC, 25 February (H.S.): A coalition of 15 Democratic-led U.S. states launched a blistering lawsuit Tuesday against President Donald Trump's administration, targeting Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s controversial rollback of childhood vaccine recommendations as unscientific and unlawful.

Science Under Siege: Seven Shots Axed from Routine Schedule

The January HHS directive—under Kennedy's vaccine-skeptic stewardship—slashed universal pediatric immunizations from 17 to 11 diseases, demoting rotavirus, influenza, COVID-19, hepatitis A/B, meningococcal disease, and RSV to high-risk-only status. Plaintiffs, led by California AG Rob Bonta and Arizona's counterpart, plus Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, allege federal law violations, ignored peer-reviewed evidence, and ACIP panel purges that threaten public health resurgence.

Kennedy, CDC Face Reckoning Amid Warnings of Disease SurgeNamed defendants include Kennedy, Acting CDC Director Jay Bhattacharya, HHS, and CDC; the suit demands nullification of changes and panel reinstatements. California Gov. Gavin Newsom warned of plummeting rates fueling outbreaks, while states like Colorado, Connecticut, Michigan, New Jersey, and Wisconsin decry resource strains and child endangerment. Medical societies echo fears of measles resurgence and eroded herd immunity.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar