The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced on Monday that it has updated its recommended vaccine schedule for children, reducing the number of immunizations all kids should receive from 17 to 11. There are still 11 diseases that the CDC advises all children get vaccinated against because they cause serious morbidity or mortality to children. These recommendations are in line with international consensus. The agency says certain shots should now only be given to high-risk groups, arguing that vaccines have \u201cdifferent risk-benefit profiles for different \u2026 people.\u201d The third group of vaccinations is based on a framework called shared clinical decision-making, which means parents should consult with a healthcare provider about whether their child should get a particular shot. In December, President Donald Trump advised the HHS to revamp the US vaccination schedule to follow those of other wealthy nations. He pointed out that Denmark\u2019s schedule vaccinates against 10 diseases, Japan 14 and Germany 15. Since Trump\u2019s memorandum in December, several experts, and The Post\u2019s editorial board, have criticized the move, taking particular issue with modeling US policy on other countries like Denmark. The change has been largely criticized, with medical professionals expressing fear for what this could mean for future infections. The US has been different from other countries on vaccines due to various factors, including demographics, healthcare systems, and policies. The recent changes to the US vaccination schedule, which reduce the number of recommended immunizations for children, have been met with criticism from medical professionals. They argue that these changes may lead to increased suffering and death from preventable diseases. The decision to model the US vaccination schedule after other countries, such as Denmark, has also been questioned due to differences in population size, healthcare systems, and policies.<\/p>\n Q: What are the 11 diseases that the CDC still recommends all children get vaccinated against? Introduction to the US Vaccine Schedule The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced on Monday that it has updated its recommended vaccine schedule for children, reducing the number of immunizations all kids should receive from 17 to 11. Effective immediately, the new guidelines recommend that six shots, which had previously been given to all […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":27430,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_lock_modified_date":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-27428","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-health-wellness"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/01\/118383891.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1200&w=1200&resize=1200,799&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27428"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27428"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27428\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27431,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27428\/revisions\/27431"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27430"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27428"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27428"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27428"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nEffective immediately, the new guidelines recommend that six shots, which had previously been given to all children, only be given to those who are high risk, or given after consultation between parents and a doctor.
\nIn a statement released Monday, the Health and Human Services Department said the changes came after a \u201cscientific review of the underlying science, comparing the US child and adolescent immunization schedule with those of peer, developed nations.\u201d
\nProponents of the change, including HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., say the move follows policies in countries like Denmark and Germany.
\nThe CDC updated the vaccination schedule for children, no longer recommending kids receive shots for six diseases. REUTERS<\/span>
\nThese new guidelines come after a federal vaccine advisory committee voted to no longer recommend the hepatitis B vaccine last month.
\nThe six vaccines that are no longer recommended for all children are hepatitis A, hepatitis B, influenza, meningococcal disease, rotavirus and respiratory syncytial virus.<\/p>\nWhich Shots Are Still Recommended for All Children?<\/h2>\n
\nThe diseases include whooping cough, diphtheria, tetanus, HPV, Haemophilus influenzae type B, pneumococcal disease, polio, chickenpox, measles, mumps and rubella.<\/p>\nImmunizations Only Recommended for High-Risk Children<\/h2>\n
\nHigh-risk groups can include those with underlying medical conditions, but HHS also says that \u201cunusual exposure to the disease\u201d or passing the disease to others are factors.
\nThe vaccines in this category are hepatitis A, hepatitis B, meningococcal ACWY, meningococcal B, respiratory syncytial virus and dengue.<\/p>\nVaccines Recommended \u2018Based on Shared Clinical Decision-Making\u2019<\/h2>\n
\nThe HHS has stated that physicians and parents are \u201cbest equipped to decide based on individual characteristics\u201d if children should receive vaccinations for hepatitis A, hepatitis B, meningococcal disease, rotavirus, influenza and COVID-19, which was updated last May.
\nThe agency no longer recommends hepatitis A, hepatitis B, flu, meningitis, rotavirus and RSV shots. Syda Productions \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/span><\/p>\nWhy These Guidelines Are Changing<\/h2>\n
\nIn Denmark, vaccines for the flu, COVID, RSV, chickenpox, hepatitis A, rotavirus and meningococcal disease aren\u2019t included in the recommendations for children.
\nGermany doesn\u2019t recommend the hep A vaccine except for high-risk groups, or travel. COVID-19 shots are also only recommended for children with health risks. While the US previously gave the hep B vaccine at birth, Germany gives it at two months, unless the mother is a known carrier.
\nHowever, Germany recommends one vaccine for every child that the US doesn\u2019t: meningitis B.
\nA longtime vaccine skeptic, Kennedy has argued the US schedule had not been rigorously tested and was a likely cause of rising autism rates \u2014 a claim that\u2019s been repeatedly debunked \u2014 and offered a slimmer schedule, closer to the Danish model.
\nThe HHS also argued that a \u201closs of trust\u201d during the COVID-19 pandemic \u201ccontributed to less adherence to the full CDC childhood immunization schedule, with lower rates of consensus vaccines such as measles, rubella, pertussis and polio.\u201d<\/p>\nWhy Has the US\u2019s Schedule Been Different From Some Other Countries?<\/h2>\n
\nFor one thing, the US has more than 343 million people. Denmark has just 6 million \u2014 about 1.7% of the US\u2019s population. American demographics are different, as is the American healthcare system.
\nHHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime vaccine skeptic, offered a slimmed-down schedule akin to Denmark. REUTERS<\/span>
\n\u201cIt\u2019s like comparing a cruise ship to a kayak,\u201d Dr. Sean O\u2019Leary, chair of the Committee on Infectious Diseases for the American Academy of Pediatrics, told NPR.
\nDenmark also has a national health registry.
\n\u201cAnd so if there are outbreaks or if there are cases of these diseases, they can easily identify them,\u201d Josh Michaud, associate director for global and public health policy at KFF, told the outlet. \u201cThey can treat them, get them into care, and also track down contacts, if that\u2019s needed for the particular disease we\u2019re talking about.\u201d
\nThere are other policy differences between the US and Denmark, including that Danish families get a year of paid parental leave, meaning parents can stay home with sick kids.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s not at all fair to say look at Denmark unless you can match the other characteristics of Denmark,\u201d Anders Hviid, who leads Denmark\u2019s equivalent of the US\u2019s CDC, told the New York Times.
\nHe noted that the reason Denmark excludes certain vaccines is that those diseases don\u2019t pose a big enough problem in the country. Denmark also buys all of its vaccines for its citizens \u2014 and has free universal healthcare, which likely induces more people to seek medical care when sick.
\n\u201c[In Denmark,] everyone has access to excellent prenatal and childhood care,\u201d Hviid told CNN. \u201cAs I understand it, that is not the case for everyone in the US. Vaccines prevent infections that may have poor outcomes for children who do not have access to good healthcare.\u201d<\/p>\nWhat Do the Experts Say?<\/h2>\n
\n\u201cThey\u2019re going to bring back suffering and death,\u201d O\u2019Leary told the Times. \u201cI don\u2019t say that with any hyperbole, that\u2019s exactly what\u2019s going to happen.\u201d
\nDr. Nada Mallick, dual board-certified in general pediatrics and pediatric critical care at Children\u2019s National Hospital, has similar concerns.
\n\u201cThis raises public health concerns \u2014 particularly for influenza and RSV \u2014 as we enter peak winter season, when respiratory infections are already on the rise,\u201d she told The Post.
\nDr. Sharon Nachman, chief of pediatric infectious diseases at Stony Brook Children\u2019s Hospital, said she sees the change as a \u201cdisservice to American children.\u201d
\n\u201cEach of these vaccines was compared to placebo and showed how effective they were at preventing disease. By taking them away from being recommended, we are now offering American children placebo,\u201d she said.<\/p>\nConclusion<\/h2>\n
FAQs<\/h2>\n
\nA: The diseases include whooping cough, diphtheria, tetanus, HPV, Haemophilus influenzae type B, pneumococcal disease, polio, chickenpox, measles, mumps and rubella.
\nQ: Which vaccines are no longer recommended for all children?
\nA: The six vaccines that are no longer recommended for all children are hepatitis A, hepatitis B, influenza, meningococcal disease, rotavirus and respiratory syncytial virus.
\nQ: What is the reason behind the changes to the US vaccination schedule?
\nA: The changes came after a \u201cscientific review of the underlying science, comparing the US child and adolescent immunization schedule with those of peer, developed nations.\u201d
\nQ: What do experts say about the changes to the US vaccination schedule?
\nA: Medical professionals have expressed fear that the changes may lead to increased suffering and death from preventable diseases, and that they may be a disservice to American children.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"