US health officials made broad changes to childhood vaccine recommendations Monday, restricting recommendations for vaccination against certain diseases for which vaccines had previously been recommended for all children.
They are now recommended only for those at high risk or after consultation with a health care provider, a category called “shared decision-making.”
Once widely recommended, the federal government now only recommends protection against certain diseases for children at “high risk” or based on individual doctor advice in what’s called “shared decision-making.”
Immunizations for certain high-risk groups:
- Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)
- Hepatitis A
- Hepatitis B
- Dengue
- Meningococcal ACWY
- Meningococcal B.
Immunizations based on shared clinical decision-making are:
- rotavirus
- COVID-19
- Influenza
- Meningococcal disease
- Hepatitis A
- Hepatitis B.
The CDC, however, continues to recommend that all children be immunized against 10 diseases for which there is an “international consensus,” as well as varicella (chickenpox).
The following vaccines were left on the recommended-for-all list:
- Measles, mumps and rubella (MMR)
- Diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis or whooping cough (DTaP)
- Polio
- chicken pox
- Human papillomavirus, or HPV. But in a surprise, the guidance reduces the number of recommended vaccine doses against HPV from two or three shots to just one.
- Hib, or Haemophilus influenzae type B, bacteria that despite the name is not related to flu
- PCV or pneumococcal conjugate vaccine
“The updated schedule is in contrast to the CDC child and adolescent schedule at the end of 2024, which recommended 17 immunizations for all children,” the fact sheet released by the US Department of Health and Human Sciences read.
Trump hails new move
In a post on TRUTH social media, US President Donald Trump said that his administration “is proud to announce the United States of America’s updated Childhood Vaccination Schedule.”
He said, “This Schedule is rooted in the Gold Standard of Science, and widely agreed upon by Scientists and Experts all over the World.”
Comparing the number of recommended vaccinations for children in the US and Europe, Trump said, “Effective today, America will no longer require 72 “jabs” for our beautiful, healthy children.”
“We are moving to a far more reasonable Schedule, where all children will only be recommended to receive Vaccinations for 11 of the most serious and dangerous diseases,” he said.
The President added, “Parents can still choose to give their children all of the Vaccinations, if they wish, and they will still be covered by insurance.”
“However, this updated Schedule finally aligns the United States with other Developed Nations around the World,” he said.
“Many Americans, especially the “MAHA Moms,” have been praying for these COMMON SENSE reforms for many years. Thank you for your attention to this matter!,” Trump added.
What do experts say
Public health experts warned the latest rollback could lead to preventable hospitalizations and deaths. Meanwhile, vaccine experts decried the changes they said put American children at risk.
Dr. Michael Osterholm, director of the University of Minnesota’s Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, told Reuters there should have been a public discussion on the risks and benefits of the potential impact of dropping the recommendations.
Dr. Sean O’Leary, chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics, was quoted as saying that other developed countries face different disease risks and have different healthcare systems than the United States.
Unlike the US, which depends on private healthcare, most countries provide basic universal healthcare that is paid for by the government.
“Any decision about the US childhood vaccination schedule should be grounded in evidence, transparency and established scientific processes, not comparisons that overlook critical differences between countries or health systems,” O’Leary told Reuters.
