US medical groups issue vaccine guidance, urge jabs for flu, COVID and RSV

A coalition of leading medical groups in the United States has urged the public to get updated vaccinations for influenza and COVID-19, publishing its own guidance to fill a gap left by shifting advice from the federal government.

The coalition, which includes the American Medical Association (AMA) and American Academy of Pediatrics, issued the vaccine guidance for respiratory illnesses on Wednesday.

It included the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and varied by age group and other factors, such as pregnancy.

“The latest high-quality scientific evidence found that these immunisations continue to provide meaningful protection against severe illness, hospitalisation and death,” the groups said in a statement.

The coalition said it hoped to ease “confusion and chaos” caused by the absence of updated vaccine recommendations, and noted that recent scientific studies have raised no new health concerns related to vaccines for the viruses.

“Patients need and deserve vaccine recommendations that are clear, credible, and based on the best available scientific evidence, so they can make informed vaccine decisions for themselves and for their families,” AMA president-elect Sandra Fryhofer told a news conference.

She said the coalition’s independent review has been published online so “the public has clear, consistent, science-based guidance even while the federal process is in flux”.

The advice usually comes from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), with help from its independent advisers. But the administration of President Donald Trump, in a sweeping overhaul of vaccine policy, began last year pulling back on some longstanding recommendations for virus protection and routine children’s vaccinations.