The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced a major change to the U.S. childhood vaccine schedule on Monday, recommending fewer shots for all children. The new schedule takes effect immediately and reduces recommended vaccines from 18 diseases to 11 diseases. The updated U.S. schedule is now closer to Denmark’s childhood vaccine schedule.
Senior Health and Human Services (HHS) officials said the change is meant to rebuild trust in public health after the Covid pandemic. Officials said the pandemic caused people to trust public health less, not just for Covid vaccines but also for routine childhood shots, as reported by NBC News. The CDC assessment said lower trust led to fewer children getting vaccines for measles, rubella, pertussis, and polio. The assessment also said “there is a need for more and better science” on vaccines.
Health experts said parents who want all the previously recommended vaccines can still get them. Insurance will continue to cover all vaccines that were previously recommended. Dr. David Margolius of Cleveland said, “The best case scenario is that nothing will change.” “The worst case scenario is that this causes more confusion, more distrust, lower vaccination rates,” he said, as stated in the report by NBC News.
Margolius warned that political beliefs could start deciding which vaccines children get. Margolius said there is no strong reason to copy another country’s vaccine schedule. “It just doesn’t make sense,” he said. Dr. Helen Chu from the University of Washington said the change is dangerous. “The abrupt change to the entire US childhood vaccine schedule is alarming, unnecessary, and will endanger the health of children in the United States,” Chu said, as mentioned in the reports.
High-risk group vaccines include RSV, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, dengue, and two types of bacterial meningitis. Other vaccines will be based on “shared clinical decision-making” between parents and doctors. These shared decision vaccines include rotavirus, flu, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and bacterial meningitis. The Covid vaccine was moved to shared decision-making last year.
Maldonado said ACIP should have handled these changes. Maldonado and 16 other ACIP members, including Chu, were fired in June. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. replaced the panel with members skeptical of vaccines. Maldonado warned that downgrading vaccines makes serious diseases seem harmless. She said RSV and flu are especially concerning. “The vast majority of the kids who get these diseases… are children who are previously healthy,” she said, as per the report by NBC News.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has repeatedly said U.S. kids get too many vaccines. He falsely claimed children get up to 90 vaccine doses before age 18. Kennedy has already moved to limit vaccines, including Covid shots for children. Last month, the CDC rolled back the recommendation for newborn hepatitis B shots within 24 hours of birth. Experts warned this could increase infections.
In December, FDA official Dr. Tracy Beth Hoeg presented Denmark’s vaccine schedule to a CDC committee. Hoeg suggested fewer vaccines could reduce aluminum exposure. A major Danish study published in July found aluminum in vaccines is not harmful. Kennedy demanded the study be retracted, calling it “a deceitful propaganda stunt by the pharmaceutical industry”, as cited by NBC News. The journal refused to retract the study.
Similar strategies have not worked well in the U.S. Denmark is also reconsidering its own vaccine schedule. Danish officials are reviewing rotavirus, chickenpox, and hepatitis B vaccines. Denmark started recommending RSV vaccines for pregnant women in October. Officials are also considering RSV antibody shots for infants. Hviid warned the U.S. changes could lead to more outbreaks. “Derecommending will likely lead to lower uptake,” he said, as mentioned in the report by NBC News. He said fewer vaccinations will expose more children to dangerous diseases.
The CDC said the change is meant to rebuild public trust after Covid and reduce confusion around vaccines.
Q2: Will children still be able to get all vaccines in the US?
Yes, all previously recommended vaccines are still available and covered by insurance.
Senior Health and Human Services (HHS) officials said the change is meant to rebuild trust in public health after the Covid pandemic. Officials said the pandemic caused people to trust public health less, not just for Covid vaccines but also for routine childhood shots, as reported by NBC News. The CDC assessment said lower trust led to fewer children getting vaccines for measles, rubella, pertussis, and polio. The assessment also said “there is a need for more and better science” on vaccines.
CDC vaccine clarification
The CDC clarified that the new schedule does not say children should stop getting any specific vaccine. Dr. Yvonne Maldonado of Stanford University criticized the decision-making process behind the new schedule. Maldonado said there was an “incredible lack of transparency” in how the schedule was changed. “There are no data, no papers, no discussions at all that are cited in this quote-unquote exhaustive search,” she said, as cited by NBC News. “So we have no idea who made these decisions and why they were made now,” she added.Health experts said parents who want all the previously recommended vaccines can still get them. Insurance will continue to cover all vaccines that were previously recommended. Dr. David Margolius of Cleveland said, “The best case scenario is that nothing will change.” “The worst case scenario is that this causes more confusion, more distrust, lower vaccination rates,” he said, as stated in the report by NBC News.
Margolius warned that political beliefs could start deciding which vaccines children get. Margolius said there is no strong reason to copy another country’s vaccine schedule. “It just doesn’t make sense,” he said. Dr. Helen Chu from the University of Washington said the change is dangerous. “The abrupt change to the entire US childhood vaccine schedule is alarming, unnecessary, and will endanger the health of children in the United States,” Chu said, as mentioned in the reports.
Denmark vs US vaccines
In Denmark, vaccines for flu, Covid, RSV, chickenpox, hepatitis A, rotavirus, and meningitis are not part of the childhood schedule. Denmark also gives some vaccines, like polio and tetanus, at different ages than the U.S. The CDC said it will still recommend vaccines for measles, mumps, rubella, polio, pertussis, tetanus, diphtheria, Hib, pneumococcal disease, HPV, and chickenpox. Some vaccines will now be recommended only for “high-risk groups”, as stated by NBC News.High-risk group vaccines include RSV, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, dengue, and two types of bacterial meningitis. Other vaccines will be based on “shared clinical decision-making” between parents and doctors. These shared decision vaccines include rotavirus, flu, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and bacterial meningitis. The Covid vaccine was moved to shared decision-making last year.
Insurance and school rules
A top health official said all vaccines recommended before the end of 2025 will still be paid for by insurance. This includes Affordable Care Act plans, Medicaid, CHIP, and the Vaccines for Children program. The CDC vaccine schedule is not a law. It only helps guide insurance coverage and school vaccine rules. Each state decides which vaccines children must get to attend school. The CDC’s vaccine schedule is checked and updated every year by a medical expert group called ACIP.Maldonado said ACIP should have handled these changes. Maldonado and 16 other ACIP members, including Chu, were fired in June. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. replaced the panel with members skeptical of vaccines. Maldonado warned that downgrading vaccines makes serious diseases seem harmless. She said RSV and flu are especially concerning. “The vast majority of the kids who get these diseases… are children who are previously healthy,” she said, as per the report by NBC News.
Experts warn about politics and vaccine claims
Dr. Ofer Levy of Boston Children’s Hospital said copying Europe has limits. “I wish they would have convened the FDA and the CDC committees,” Levy said. He said the public was not included in open discussions. Margolius said fewer shots do not mean fewer disease risks in the U.S. He said Denmark’s population is much smaller than the U.S. “It’d be like cutting Ohio in half,” he said, as per the report by NBC News.Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has repeatedly said U.S. kids get too many vaccines. He falsely claimed children get up to 90 vaccine doses before age 18. Kennedy has already moved to limit vaccines, including Covid shots for children. Last month, the CDC rolled back the recommendation for newborn hepatitis B shots within 24 hours of birth. Experts warned this could increase infections.
In December, FDA official Dr. Tracy Beth Hoeg presented Denmark’s vaccine schedule to a CDC committee. Hoeg suggested fewer vaccines could reduce aluminum exposure. A major Danish study published in July found aluminum in vaccines is not harmful. Kennedy demanded the study be retracted, calling it “a deceitful propaganda stunt by the pharmaceutical industry”, as cited by NBC News. The journal refused to retract the study.
Why Denmark is different from US
After the meeting, President Donald Trump ordered a review of U.S. vaccine recommendations. Trump asked officials to align U.S. rules with “best practices” from countries like Denmark. Danish scientist Anders Peter Hviid said Denmark is very different from the U.S. He said Denmark has more trust in public health and free universal health care. Denmark also has fewer severe outcomes from diseases it does not vaccinate against. Denmark can easily test pregnant women for hepatitis B and protect newborns.Similar strategies have not worked well in the U.S. Denmark is also reconsidering its own vaccine schedule. Danish officials are reviewing rotavirus, chickenpox, and hepatitis B vaccines. Denmark started recommending RSV vaccines for pregnant women in October. Officials are also considering RSV antibody shots for infants. Hviid warned the U.S. changes could lead to more outbreaks. “Derecommending will likely lead to lower uptake,” he said, as mentioned in the report by NBC News. He said fewer vaccinations will expose more children to dangerous diseases.
FAQs
Q1: Why did the CDC change the childhood vaccine schedule?The CDC said the change is meant to rebuild public trust after Covid and reduce confusion around vaccines.
Q2: Will children still be able to get all vaccines in the US?
Yes, all previously recommended vaccines are still available and covered by insurance.
