California Attorney General Rob Bonta and Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes have filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and the CDC for removing seven vaccines from the universally recommended childhood vaccine list. These vaccines, which protect against rotavirus, meningococcal disease, hepatitis A and B, influenza, COVID-19, and RSV, were removed without new scientific evidence, according to the lawsuit.

The attorneys general argue that this decision contradicts decades of research and threatens public health by risking an increase in preventable illnesses among children. They also challenge the replacement of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, a key federal panel that has guided vaccine policy.

The lawsuit emphasizes that vaccines are essential for public health, saving lives and reducing healthcare costs. The attorneys general assert that public health decisions must be grounded in scientific fact.