US Overhauls Routine Childhood Vaccines List

The US has sharply reduced the number of vaccines it recommends for all children, a move praised by President Donald Trump but criticised by leading medical groups who warn it could put children at risk.

Under new guidance issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Monday, routine vaccinations for children have been cut from protection against 17 diseases to 11. Vaccines for illnesses such as measles, polio, whooping cough, chickenpox and HPV remain recommended for every child, but others including flu, Covid-19, hepatitis A and B, rotavirus and some forms of meningitis, are now advised only for higher-risk children or through what officials call “shared clinical decision-making” between parents and doctors.

The overhaul was ordered by Trump in December, when he asked health officials to compare the US vaccine schedule with those in other developed countries. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said the US was a “global outlier” in the number of vaccines it routinely recommends, pointing to countries like Denmark as a reference point.

Trump welcomed the change, calling the new schedule “far more reasonable” and saying it was “rooted in the gold standard of science”. In another post, he added that parents could still choose additional vaccines and that insurance would continue to cover them.

Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, who has long questioned the safety of vaccines, said the decision came after a thorough review. “This decision protects children, respects families, and rebuilds trust in public health,” he said, adding that the US was aligning its approach with international norms while boosting transparency and informed consent.

But the reaction from much of the medical community was swift and fierce. The American Academy of Pediatrics described the changes as “dangerous and unnecessary”, warning they would confuse parents and weaken people's protection against preventable diseases.

Republican Senator Bill Cassidy, a physician who chairs the Senate health committee, said: “Changing the pediatric vaccine schedule based on no scientific input on safety risks and little transparency will cause unnecessary fear for patients and doctors, and will make America sicker.”

Public health experts also raised alarms about timing. The changes come as flu cases are rising nationwide and childhood vaccination rates are already slipping, with exemptions at a record high. Nine children have died from flu so far this season, according to the CDC.

Dr Caitlin Rivers, an epidemiologist at Johns Hopkins, said a reduced schedule could “lay the groundwork for a resurgence in preventable disease”. Others warned that copying other countries’ schedules ignores major differences in population size, healthcare access and disease risk. “The United States is not Denmark,” said Dr Andrew Racine, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics. “You can’t just copy and paste public health.”

HHS has said insurance will continue to cover all vaccines through the end of 2025, but experts note that parents may now face extra hurdles, such as needing consultations to access shots no longer broadly recommended.

The changes were made without a public vote from the CDC’s usual vaccine advisory committee, which was restructured last year after Kennedy dismissed its previous members. Pediatricians’ groups say they will continue to follow their own vaccine schedules, which still recommend many of the shots the government has downgraded.