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Director Vohra on American Academy of Pediatrics Court Ruling

Director's Letters – Friday, March 20, 2026

Dear Colleagues,

 

Over the last year, the State of Illinois and Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) have been forced to take unprecedented actions in response to federal government vaccine decisions that were inconsistent with gold-standard scientific processes. IDPH’s priority is to provide you, Illinois’s health care providers and residents, with vaccine guidance that is credible, transparent, and science based.

 

Earlier this week, on March 16th, U.S. District Court Judge Brian E. Murphy issued a federal stay after the American Academy of Pediatrics and other medical groups filed a lawsuit against U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for a series of vaccine decisions over the past year. The court’s ruling pauses the following federal changes:

  • The January 2026 federal decision that reduced the recommended childhoodvaccines from 17 to 11.
  • The Secretary’s appointment of 13 new members to the Advisory Committee onImmunization Practices (ACIP).
  • ACIP votes taken during the June, September and December 2025 meetings onflu/thimerosal, COVID-19 and hepatitis B, putting federal vaccinationrecommendations prior to June 2025 back into effect.

 

The ruling’s focus on the importance of gold-standard scientific processes and procedural requirements is consistent with the State’s actions. Current vaccine recommendations in Illinois are not changed by this ruling. IDPH will continue to monitor the impact of these judicial proceedings.

 

As the healthcare landscape remains ever changing, IDPH recognizes this can be a confusing time for providers and patients. To provide greater clarity, I want to remind healthcare providers, public health professionals, and residents that IDPH’s science-based actions over the past year continue to require state-regulated insurance plans cover IDPH recommendations.

 

Under Governor Pritzker’s leadership, the State of Illinois has taken numerous steps to ensure that vaccine guidance is credible and science-based:

  • Strengthening and routinely convening the Illinois Immunization AdvisoryCommittee (IL-IAC), IDPH’s board of vaccine experts, to review vaccine evidenceand provide recommendations.
  • Issuing comprehensive immunization guidance on seasonal respiratory vaccines and hepatitis b, based on the IL-IAC's recommendations.
  • Partnering with state agencies to ensure increased vaccine access and coverageof IDPH recommended vaccines for state-regulated insurance plans.
  • Endorsing the 2026 childhood immunization schedule published by the AmericanAcademy of Pediatrics.

 

IDPH will continue to convene the IL-IAC to ensure that the State of Illinois is reviewing the latest vaccine evidence and providing you with recommendations that support optimal health outcomes. The next scheduled meeting is May 6th, where the Committee will review new and emerging vaccine evidence and Illinois-specific school vaccine coverage data.

 

Thank you for all you are doing to promote the health of Illinois’s residents and communities. IDPH looks forward

 

Yours in good health,

Sameer Vohra, MD, JD, MA
Director
Illinois Department of Public Health