The Ohio State Medical Association is throwing its weight behind traditional childhood vaccine recommendations, announcing its support for the American Academy of Pediatrics' child and adolescent immunization schedule on Sept. 29.
The move lands amid a widening political split over vaccines. OSMA describes itself as the leading voice for Ohio physicians, residents and medical students — yet its political arm recently endorsed a gubernatorial candidate who has expressed vaccine skepticism, and federal health officials remain locked in a clash with the nation's top pediatric organization.
The AAP schedule covers doses from birth to age 17 that protect against 18 diseases. As skepticism has grown, so have cases of long-preventable illnesses: more than 3,600 measles cases have been reported nationwide this year, the highest total since 1991, and Ohio has logged 196 cases — double its 2025 count.
Under Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the CDC rolled back or downgraded several vaccine recommendations — including for hepatitis A and B, rotavirus, flu, meningococcal disease and RSV — bypassing its standard process of consulting the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices in a public meeting.
The AAP and other health organizations sued the federal government over the rollbacks. A judge granted a stay on the CDC's changes and reverted to the July 2025 vaccine recommendations.
— NewsForce Staff
