CDC Cuts Universal Child Vaccine Recommendations

The U.S. has taken an unprecedented — and some would say, long overdue — step in federal vaccine policy, sharply reducing the number of vaccines it recommends for every child in the nation. Effective immediately, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) now lists 11 universally recommended vaccines, down from a broader slate that previously included shots for flu, rotavirus, hepatitis A and B, RSV and certain meningitis strains.

Health officials call the change a modernization of childhood immunization guidance. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said its review of schedules in 20 peer nations found the United States to be an “outlier” in the number of routine vaccines. Officials framed the revision as a way to “increase public trust” by focusing broad recommendations on what they view as the most critical immunizations.

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. issued a statement Monday saying, 

“President Trump directed us to examine how other developed nations protect their children and to take action if they are doing better. After an exhaustive review of the evidence, we are aligning the U.S. childhood vaccine schedule with international consensus while strengthening transparency and informed consent. This decision protects children, respects families, and rebuilds trust in public health.”

The new guidance also reduces the recommended doses of the human papillomavirus vaccine for most children, lowering it to a single shot instead of the previous two or three-dose schedule.

Vaccines no longer broadly recommended for every child — such as those for influenza, RSV, hepatitis A and B, rotavirus and some forms of meningococcal disease — are now advised only for children at higher risk or based on discussions between families and health care providers, known as “shared clinical decision-making.”

The CDC will continue to recommend vaccines for diseases such as measles, mumps, rubella, polio, tetanus, whooping cough and chickenpox for all children — despite evidence, largely ignored by many “health experts” — that some of these injections could be associated with Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) or other serious conditions which might be worse than the diseases themselves.

Some leading pediatricians and public health experts have sharply criticized the rollout, saying the changes were made without a transparent review process and could increase illness and death from preventable diseases.

Dr. Sean O’Leary of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) warned that public health decisions should reflect epidemiology and health systems unique to the United States. “You can’t just copy and paste public health and that’s what they seem to be doing here,” he said. “Literally children’s health and children’s lives are at stake.”

It should be noted that AAP — characterized by some as “a charitable organization in terms of its founding legal documentation, but an industry trade group in practice‘ — and Secretary Kennedy are in a long-running feud over vaccine safety. Recently, AAP sued Kennedy over cutting some $12 million in funding, citing concerns over “identity-based language” and other issues that did not align with the administration’s priorities. Kennedy has also documented the pharmaceutical industry funding behind AAP, accusing them of “pay for play” activities in support of Big Pharma's interests over patient care and safety.

Michael Osterholm of the Vaccine Integrity Project — another group associated with Big Pharma — said the move could lead to “more hospitalizations and preventable deaths among American children” by abandoning long-standing vaccine recommendations.

Some States have already signaled resistance to the federal guidance. Health officials in California and other Western states said they will maintain broader vaccine recommendations, citing continued disease risk and concern over the new approach.

Although the CDC’s universal recommendations influence school vaccine requirements and public health messaging, States set their own mandates. Illinois, for example, said federal guidance “will have no bearing” on its local policies, and it will continue supporting broader vaccination schedules.

In Alabama the Right to Refuse Act, which died in the Legislature last year as HB520 has been filed again as HB12 for the upcoming session by Representative Ernie Yarborough (R-Trinity). HB12 would protect Alabamians from future vaccine mandates, mask requirements, and pharmaceutical discrimination, and is expected to be hotly debated in the months to come. The full text of HB12 as pre-filed is available HERE.

These changes come as U.S. vaccination rates have dipped and exemptions have risen. Some medical experts say the timing raises the risk that diseases once well controlled could see increased spread if fewer children are routinely immunized, while others see it as dawning recognition that “The Science” behind vaccines might not be as safe as we were led to believe.

Whether these federal shifts will affect disease trends — including rates of SIDS, autism and other conditions — over time remains to be seen. For now, families and doctors face a new landscape of childhood vaccine guidance marked by choice and consultation — not universal mandates.