The United States has removed longstanding federal guidance recommending that all children receive vaccines against influenza, rotavirus, meningococcal disease, and hepatitis A.
Under the revised guidance issued by the Department of Health and Human Services and approved by the acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), routine recommendations for four vaccines, will no longer be automatically advised for every child. Instead, these immunizations are placed in a category of a shared clinical decision‑making, where parents consult health care providers to determine whether vaccination is appropriate.
Health officials emphasized that all vaccines previously included on the schedule will continue to be covered by insurance. The revised guidance was issued without review by the CDC’s independent vaccine advisory panel, breaking with the agency’s standard practice for evaluating changes to childhood immunization schedules.
Public health and medical professionals have sharply criticized the overhaul, warning that reducing broad vaccine recommendations could lower immunization rates and elevate the risk of outbreaks of preventable diseases. Some experts also noted the revision was implemented without the usual review by CDC’s external advisory committee on immunization practices, raising concerns about transparency and adherence to established scientific processes.
The change reflects a broader push by federal health leadership to reduce the number of vaccines universally recommended for children, aligning the U.S. schedule more closely with practices in other developed nations. Public health experts have expressed concern that the policy could increase the risk of preventable illnesses, hospitalizations, and deaths, particularly given the United States’ reliance on a private healthcare system.
