American Academy of Pediatrics investigated by Texas over childhood vaccines

FILE — Back-to-school vaccines

August is National Immunization Awareness Month, and that’s timely as back to school season is here, with many Central Texas districts starting up this week. But before parents send their kids back to class, they need to be up to date on their vaccinations.

AUSTIN, Texas – The Texas Attorney General’s Office said Wednesday it has opened an investigation into the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) over the group’s promotion of childhood vaccines.

What we know:

According to state prosecutors, the investigation stems around concerns that AAP recommendations may be for financial gain.

In a statement, the AG’s office said that AAP published its own immunization schedule for babies, children and adolescents after the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) was reorganized and its vaccine recommendations were changed.

AAP’s schedule was published after it sued over the changes to ACIP’s schedule, saying that the changes weren’t based in science.

What they’re saying:

“Parents deserve vaccine recommendations that are driven by science and the best interests of their children, not by financial gains or bribes from Big Pharma,” Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said in a statement about the investigation. “My office will fight to protect kids’ health and uphold transparency in the medical industry alongside President Trump and Secretary Kennedy. If the American Academy of Pediatrics is giving medical guidance that is fueled by financial incentives, we will expose and put an end to this unlawful behavior.”

FILE – A nurse administers a pediatric dose of the COVID-19 vaccine to a girl.

The other side:

AAP CEO and Executive Vice President Mark Del Monte said the academy’s work that spans nearly a century has focused on using science to best protect children’s health. He said all of its recommendations are rooted in decades of peer-reviewed science.

“As the nation faces its worst measles outbreak in 30 years, including more than 750 cases in Texas, the AAP continues to support pediatricians and parents with evidence-based information about immunizations, while Ken Paxton’s ‘investigation’ serves only to undermine public health, sow confusion, and put more children at risk of preventable disease,” Mark Del Monte said in a statement.