US childhood vaccines: The United States has dropped its long-standing recommendation that all children routinely receive vaccines against influenza, rotavirus, meningococcal disease, and hepatitis A, shifting instead to a “shared clinical decision-making” approach that advises parents to consult their healthcare providers.
The change, approved by CDC Acting Director Jim O’Neill, bypassed the agency’s usual external advisory review process, drawing criticism from public health and pediatric experts who warned the rollback could lead to preventable illness and deaths.
The decision advances a long-standing objective of US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a prominent vaccine critic who has argued for scaling back routine childhood immunisations. Kennedy has previously promoted debunked claims linking vaccines to autism, which scientific and public health authorities have repeatedly rejected.
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President Donald Trump welcomed the revised schedule, saying it would “align with other developed nations” by reducing the number of shots recommended for children.
Vaccine specialists and physician groups said the revised guidance risks lowering uptake of shots that have dramatically reduced serious childhood disease. Sean O’Leary, who chairs the American Academy of Pediatrics’ infectious diseases committee, cautioned that comparing the US to other countries can be misleading because disease patterns and healthcare systems differ, including the fact that many peer nations provide universal healthcare.
The updated U.S. schedule still keeps universal immunisations for 11 diseases including measles, mumps and chickenpox, while shifting other shots into categories such as targeted use for high-risk groups or shared decision-making.
HHS officials said insurers will continue to cover recommended immunizations regardless of category.
Reuters
Separately, the updated schedule recommends a single dose of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine instead of the previous two-dose course, citing evidence and noting that the World Health Organization supports a one-dose schedule in certain contexts.
