Health officials slash number of childhood vaccines

U.S. health officials on Monday reduced the number of vaccines routinely recommended for children, in a sweeping change to the country’s vaccination policy.

The CDC said in a statement that, at the direction of President Donald Trump, it is revising its childhood vaccination program to bring the United States more into line with 20 peer countries.

Under the new guidelines, vaccines continue to be fully recommended, including those that protect against measles, mumps and rubella (MMR), chickenpox, polio and HPV.

However, six commonly administered vaccines have been downgraded to ‘shared clinical decision making’ or ‘high-risk groups’; This means doctors are now advised to discuss the risks and benefits of vaccines with parents.

The downgraded vaccines are: rotavirus, Covid, influenza, meningococcal disease, hepatitis A and hepatitis B.

Overall, the total number of vaccines officially recommended in the childhood immunization program for zero to 18-year-olds has been reduced from 17 to 11.

Health officials emphasized that none of the vaccines had been withdrawn and said insurers would continue to cover all vaccines regardless of whether they fall under routine recommendation, shared decision-making or high risk coverage.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Junior said in a statement that this move is aimed at restoring confidence in public health.

He said: ‘President Trump has directed us to examine how other developed countries are protecting their children and to take action if they are doing better.

‘After a comprehensive review of the evidence, we are aligning the U.S. childhood vaccination program with international consensus while strengthening transparency and informed consent.

‘This decision protects children, respects families and rebuilds trust in public health.’

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said Acting Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Jim O’Neill approved the updated guidelines on Monday.

According to the new schedule, CDC continues to organize the childhood vaccination program into three different categories: vaccines recommended for all children, vaccines recommended for high-risk groups, and vaccines based on shared clinical decision-making.

In 2024, the only vaccine that the CDC said should be based on shared clinical decision-making was the Covid vaccine. Vaccines against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), influenza, meningococcal disease, and dengue fever have all been recommended for high-risk groups.

However, hepatitis A and hepatitis B vaccines have now been added to the list of vaccines for high-risk groups, not all children.

Besides the Covid vaccine, the vaccines that were brought down to shared clinical decision-making were vaccines against: rotavirus, influenza, meningococcal disease, hepatitis A and hepatitis B.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy Junior is seen at the official Make America Healthy Again summit held in November last year.

HHS said the new program was based on an evaluation of the U.S. vaccination program conducted by Martin Kulldorf and Tracy Beth Hoeg that compared it to that of 20 similar countries, including Denmark’s.

He said the assessment showed that the United States was a ‘global outlier’ among other developed countries in its vaccination policy. It was stated that in 2024, the USA recommends more childhood vaccinations than other similar countries and more than twice as many as some European countries.

Some experts in the United States have warned against comparisons with European countries, saying they tend to be much smaller, less diverse and have public health services.

O’Neill said: ‘After reviewing the evidence, I signed a memorandum of decision accepting the recommendations of the assessment.

‘The data supports a more focused program that protects children from the most serious infectious diseases, while increasing clarity, engagement and public confidence.’

The new schedule more closely matches European countries such as Denmark, which currently do not recommend childhood vaccines against rotavirus, hepatitis A, meningococcus, influenza, chickenpox or respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV.

This comes a month after President Trump ordered the health department to review the childhood vaccination program.

Following his own executive order, Trump wrote in Truth Social at the time: ‘This is ridiculous.

‘Therefore, I signed a Presidential memorandum directing the Department of Health and Human Services to “FAST TRACK” a comprehensive assessment of the Vaccine Programs of other Countries around the world and better align the U.S. Vaccine Program.’

It’s been less than a month since the CDC officially withdrew its recommendation that all newborns receive the hepatitis B vaccine within 24 hours of birth.

O’Neill approved ending the blanket recommendation on December 17, saying instead that children born to parents who do not have hepatitis B should be vaccinated on the basis of ‘individual-based decision-making’.

Children born to parents with hepatitis B are also recommended to be vaccinated at birth.