Top healthcare group breaks with Trump's CDC and issues its own vaccine recommendations in shocking move

A leading medical group has diverged from America's top public health agency and issued its own vaccination recommendations for the first time ever.

The American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists (ACOG) released a recommended maternal vaccine schedule this week that differs from the CDC's recommendations.

The schedule, which has been endorsed by 13 medical and health organizations, recommends women receive four vaccines while pregnant, including for flu, Covid, RSV and tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis, given in a combined, single Tdap booster. 

Some of the endorsing groups include the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), American Academy of Family Physicians, the National Association of Nurse Practitioners in Women’s Health and the American College of Nurse-Midwives.

The move comes after the CDC overhauled its vaccine recommendations under the direction of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr. 

ACOG president Camille Clare said in a statement: 'Changing national recommendations coupled with rampant vaccine misinformation are resulting in confusion for both patients and health care professionals. 

'It is incredibly important for the public to have access to reliable, evidence-based information on maternal immunizations from a trusted source.'

ACOG's recommendations advise pregnant women to get the flu and Covid shots at any point in their pregnancy during each pregnancy. 

The CDC's updated maternal vaccine schedule removed the flu and Covid shots from routine recommendations.

The new ACOG schedule recommends the Tdap vaccine be given once during each pregnancy between 27 and 36 weeks of gestation, during any time of the year.

This is the same recommendation as the CDC.  

Also similar to the CDC's recommendation, the ACOG guidance advises the RSV vaccine be given during the first pregnancy between September and January if 32 to 36 weeks pregnant and recommends it be given during one pregnancy only.

In subsequent pregnancies, infants should receive RSV monoclonal antibody after birth to provide them with protection.

These four vaccines have been proven safe to both the pregnant woman and the fetus through decades of clinical research and monitoring.  

The ACOG updated guidelines also included recommendations for vaccines among specific groups of women during pregnancy, such as those with co-existing health conditions or certain heightened risks.

Among those are vaccines for pneumonia, meningitis, hepatitis A and B, chickenpox and measles, mumps and rubella.

The HPV vaccine can be given postpartum. 

The schedule states: 'Immunization is an essential part of preventive care for people who are pregnant, postpartum, and lactating - and for their infants. Ob/gyns can reduce the frequency of vaccine-preventable diseases by being aware of current vaccine recommendations, counseling patients to receive appropriate vaccines and integrating vaccination into routine clinical practice.

'ACOG encourages clinicians to stock and ideally administer all recommended vaccines in their offices.'

Vaccines provide important protection for a mother-to-be, whose immune system undergoes major shifts during pregnancy that can make her more vulnerable to severe illness or complications from certain infections.

Additionally, when a pregnant woman receives a vaccination, the protection it provides via antibodies is passed on to the baby through the placenta.

This protects newborns and infants from serious and life-threatening diseases that they are too young to be vaccinated against - though they will need routine vaccinations against many of the same diseases once they reach appropriate ages.

Common viruses like the flu and Covid often cause mild symptoms in most healthy adults. These typically resolve on their own or with mild medical intervention.

However, it is possible the viruses could cause devastating outcomes in babies, including, in rare cases, organ damage, brain damage, death or life-long health complications.