By RICK MILLER
Olean Star
OLEAN — Like most other health professionals, Cattaraugus County Public Health Director Dr. Kevin D. Watkins was surprised when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently cut the number of recommended childhood vaccines.
Watkins said he was surprised at the speed of the changes in CDSC recommendations in childhood vaccinations.
“There used to be lots of dialogue and discussion” before changes like this, Watkins said in an Olean Star interview. Past vaccine considerations were more science-based, he agreed.
Watkins emphasized the changes in the childhood vaccination schedule by the CDC is a recommendation.
In New York state, the vaccination schedule will remain as it was before the CDC’s change was announced by Health and Human Services Sec. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Jan. 6, Watkins said.
New York State “Is going to continue to follow the American Academy of Pediatrics recommendation for the requirement of students who are entering the public schools or training schools,” Watkins said. Those are the same recommendations that were in effect last year.
The CDC “recategorized” vaccines including rotavirus, covid 19, influenza, hepatitis A and B and meningococcal, which are no longer universally recommended.
The CDC’s new vaccine recommendations are designed to protect against 11 diseases instead of 18. Leading medical groups — including the American Academy of Pediatrics — are sticking with the prior vaccine recommendations.
Insurance companies generally follow the CDC’s vaccination recommendations in terms of reimbursement. In New York, since the state Department of Health’s requirements remain unchanged, insurance companies are expected to continue to reimburse for the previous range of vaccine recommendations, Watkins said.
The new CDC schedule continues to include measles, whooping cough, polio, chickenpox and HPV, or human papilloma virus.
In New York, students will still be required to have the same vaccination schedule as before the CDC’s new recommendations, Watkins emphasized.
The state Department of Health issued a health advisory notice to all medical providers in New York to continue to follow the American Academy of Pediatrics recommendations on childhood immunizations.
Watkins, was president of the New York State Association of County Health Officials from 2020-21 and is president-elect of the New York Association of Counties.
Watkins said he was concerned that the CDC’s new recommendations were not science-based and could create some confusion among parents. He urged parents who have questions about childhood vaccines to consult with their medical provider.
Public health officials are concerned that the CDC’s recommendations may lead to an increase in preventable diseases.
There are no longer any non-medical exemptions — including religious exemptions — for childhood vaccines for children attending schools. Those exemptions ended in 2019.
Cattaraugus County health officials remain concerned that a segment of the population — the Amish — does not follow state health regulations on childhood vaccinations.
The Old Order Amish, which reside in the western part of the county centered on the Conewango Valley, do not believe in vaccinations. In the past, there have been outbreaks here of measles and whooping cough in the local Amish community.
Since there isn’t a lot of interaction with the Amish, and many areas of the county have good immunization rates, it hasn’t posed much of a problem outside of the Amish community.
However, the 13.3% childhood immunization rate for measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) in the Conewango Valley zip code helps drag the county’s rate down to 74%. All surrounding counties have higher rates: Allegany County, 79%; Chautauqua County, 83.7%; Erie County, 87.2% and Wyoming County, 86.2%.
The highest childhood vaccination rate in Cattaraugus County is in the Irving zip code and covers the Cattaraugus Territory of the Seneca Nation. The Irving rate is a whopping 94.7%. Next is West Valley, with a 92.2% vaccination rate.
In Olean’s 14760 zip code, the 2025 vaccination rate was 85.7%. In Allegany it was 86.8% and the Portville zip code showed a 76.7% vaccination rate. In the Salamanca zip code the rate was 90.12%. There was no rate reported for the Hinsdale zip code.
Data is only available for 18 of the 36 zip codes in the county. The state Department of Health said data is not available to the others due to the low number of residents in the eligible age range (less than 20).
