The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has announced a significant reduction in the number of recommended childhood immunizations, removing six vaccines from its routine schedule. These changes affect vaccines for hepatitis A, hepatitis B, rotavirus, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), meningococcal disease, flu, and COVID-19. The CDC now advises these vaccines only for children at high risk or after consultation between doctors and parents.
According to CDC publications, just three of the removed vaccines—hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and rotavirus—have prevented nearly 2 million hospitalizations and over 90,000 deaths in the last 30 years.
The CDC continues to recommend 11 other childhood vaccines including those for measles, mumps, rubella; whooping cough; tetanus; diphtheria; Hib; pneumonia; polio; chickenpox; and human papillomavirus (HPV).
A fact sheet from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) notes that federal and private insurance will still cover the sidelined vaccines. Parents who wish to vaccinate their children against these diseases will not have to pay out-of-pocket.
Experts have expressed concern about the new guidelines. HHS stated that “the changes followed ‘a scientific review of the underlying science’ and were in line with vaccination programs in other developed nations.” HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., known for his anti-vaccine activism, cited Denmark as a model. However, most European countries maintain schedules closer to the previous U.S. standard.
Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and co-inventor of a licensed rotavirus vaccine, commented on Denmark’s approach: “They’re OK with having 1,200 or 1,300 hospitalized kids, which is the tip of the iceberg in terms of childhood suffering. We weren’t. They should be trying to emulate us, not the other way around.”
Public health officials say that under the new guidance parents will need to learn more about each vaccine’s benefits and risks.
Lori Handy, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia explained: “It means a provider should have a conversation with the patient to lay out the risks and the benefits and make a decision for that individual person.” She added that “the CDC’s new approach doesn’t line up with the science because of the proven protective benefit the vaccines have for the vast majority of the population.”
Handy also said: “They’re held to a safety standard higher than any other medical intervention that we have. The value of routine recommendations is that it really helps the public understand that this has been vetted upside down and backwards in every which way.”
Eric Ball, a pediatrician in Orange County, California warned: “It is critical for public health that recommendations for vaccines are very clear and concise. Anything to muddy the water is just going to lead to more children getting sick.”
Richard Hughes IV, an attorney and George Washington University lecturer involved in litigation over vaccine policy changes noted: “You could expect that any pediatrician is going to follow sound evidence and recommend that their patients be vaccinated.” He added: “RSV, meningococcal, and hepatitis remain serious health threats for children in this country.”
The updated CDC recommendations do not alter state vaccination laws or requirements.
The story was originally published by Tribune National on January 7, 2026.
