US Drops the Number of Vaccines it Recommends for Every Child

Introduction to the New Vaccine Recommendations

The U.S. took the unprecedented step Monday of cutting the number of vaccines it recommends for every child — a move that leading medical groups said would undermine protections against a half-dozen diseases. The change is effective immediately, meaning that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will now recommend that all children get vaccinated against 11 diseases. What’s no longer broadly recommended is protection against flu, rotavirus, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, some forms of meningitis or RSV. Instead, protections against those diseases are only recommended for certain groups deemed high risk, or when doctors recommend them in what’s called “shared decision-making.”

Impact on Public Health

Trump administration officials said the overhaul, a move long sought by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., won’t result in families who want the vaccines losing access to them, and said insurance will continue to pay. But medical experts said the decision creates confusion for parents and could increase preventable diseases. States, not the federal government, have the authority to require vaccinations for schoolchildren. While CDC requirements often influence those state regulations, some states have begun creating their own alliances to counter the Trump administration’s guidance on vaccines.

Review and Comparison with Peer Nations

Background on the Review Process

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said the overhaul was in response to a request from President Donald Trump in December. Trump asked the agency to review how peer nations approach vaccine recommendations and consider revising U.S. guidance accordingly. HHS said its comparison to 20 peer nations found that the U.S. was an “outlier” in both the number of vaccinations and the number of doses it recommended to all children.

Findings and Recommendations

Officials with the agency framed the change as a way to increase public trust by recommending only the most important vaccinations for children to receive. “This decision protects children, respects families, and rebuilds trust in public health,” Kennedy said in a statement Monday. Trump, reacting to the news on his Truth Social platform, said the new schedule is “far more reasonable” and “finally aligns the United States with other Developed Nations around the World.”

Medical Experts’ Concerns

Among those left on the recommended-for-everyone list are vaccines against measles, whooping cough, polio, tetanus, chickenpox, and human papillomavirus, or HPV. The guidance reduces the number of recommended vaccine doses against HPV from two or three shots depending on age to one for most children. Medical experts said Monday’s changes without what they said was public discussion or a transparent review of the data would put children at risk. “Abandoning recommendations for vaccines that prevent influenza, hepatitis, and rotavirus, and changing the recommendation for HPV without a public process to weigh the risks and benefits, will lead to more hospitalizations and preventable deaths among American children,” said Michael Osterholm of the Vaccine Integrity Project, based at the University of Minnesota.

Doctors’ Groups Criticize Decision

Lack of Transparency and Expert Input

The changes were made by political appointees, without any evidence that the current recommendations were harming children, according to Dr. Sean O’Leary of the American Academy of Pediatrics. The pediatricians’ group has issued its own childhood vaccine schedule that its members are following, and it continues to broadly recommend vaccines that the Trump administration demoted. O’Leary singled out the flu vaccine, which the government and leading medical experts have long urged for nearly everyone starting at age 6 months. He said the government is “pretty tone deaf” for ending its recommendation while the country is at the beginning of a severe flu season, and after 280 children died from flu last winter, the most since 2009.

Concerns Over Disease Resurgence

Even a disease that parents may not have heard of, rotavirus, could come roaring back if vaccination erodes, he added. That diarrheal disease once hospitalized thousands of children each winter, something that no longer happens. The decision was made without input from an advisory committee that typically consults on the vaccine schedule, said senior officials at HHS. The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss the changes publicly.

Kennedy’s Stance on Vaccines

The move comes as Kennedy, a longtime activist against vaccines, has repeatedly used his authority in government to translate his skepticism about the shots into national guidance. In May, Kennedy announced the CDC would no longer recommend COVID-19 vaccines for healthy children and pregnant women — a move immediately questioned by public health experts who saw no new data to justify the change. In June, Kennedy fired an entire 17-member CDC vaccine advisory committee — later installing several of his own replacements, including multiple vaccine skeptics.

Conclusion

The decision to reduce the number of recommended vaccines for children in the U.S. has sparked significant controversy and concern among medical experts. The changes, made without a transparent review process or input from advisory committees, are seen as potentially undermining protections against several serious diseases. As the country navigates this new vaccine schedule, it will be crucial to monitor the impact on public health and adjust policies accordingly to ensure the well-being of American children.

FAQs

• Q: What vaccines are no longer recommended for all children?
  • A: Vaccines against flu, rotavirus, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, some forms of meningitis, or RSV are no longer broadly recommended for all children but are recommended for certain high-risk groups or through shared decision-making with doctors.
• Q: Why were these changes made?
  • A: The changes were made in response to a request from President Donald Trump to review how peer nations approach vaccine recommendations and to increase public trust by recommending only the most important vaccinations.
• Q: What do medical experts say about the changes?
  • A: Medical experts express concern that the changes could lead to more hospitalizations and preventable deaths among American children, as they were made without a transparent review of the data and public discussion.
• Q: Will insurance still cover the vaccines?
  • A: According to Trump administration officials, insurance will continue to pay for the vaccines, and families who want the vaccines should not lose access to them.
• Q: How do these changes compare to vaccine recommendations in other countries?
  • A: Most high-income countries recommend vaccinations against a dozen to 15 serious pathogens. The U.S. now recommends 11, which is fewer than many peer nations, such as France, which recommends vaccinations against 14 diseases.