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What to know about the changes
Vaccination recommendations have been a long-standing debate, and the chatter has only escalated since former presidential candidate and lawyer Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was sworn in as U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services.
Now, the conversation is spiking again after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention abruptly changed the childhood immunization schedule, effectively reducing the number of recommended shots for children from 17 shots to just 11.
“President Trump directed us to examine how other developed nations protect their children and to take action if they are doing better,” explained the Secretary. Certain “peer nations,” such as Denmark, recommend less vaccines, and the U.S. is following suit to “strengthen transparency and informed consent.”
The new schedule no longer recommends vaccines for rotavirus, hepatitis A and hepatitis B, meningitis, RSV (respiratory syncytial virus), COVID, and the flu for every child. Ultimately, state governments will decide which vaccines are required for school entry, but the federal gov still yields significant influence over policy and access.
Enacted in part as a way to rebuild trust in public health following the pandemic, the changes have some medical professionals concerned. The new schedule didn’t undergo standard independent review (aka scrutiny from experts outside the org), and groups such as the American Academy of Pediatrics criticized the changes as “dangerous and unnecessary,” noting Denmark’s population, health infrastructure and disease risks are different.
Critics of the schedule switch also bring to light RFK Jr.’s known history of anti-vax rhetoric—plus updates to information on the CDC’s website, including changes that suggest vaccines are possibly linked to autism.
Despite the overhaul, all vaccines on the schedule and those now excluded from the main recommended list will still remain under insurance coverage.
“No family will lose access,” Administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and television personality Dr. Oz said. “This framework empowers parents and physicians to make individualized decisions based on risk while maintaining strong protection against serious disease.”
Regardless of where your trust in the department stands, the American Medical Association still suggests chatting with your physician to decide what is the best course of action for you and your child.
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