Health
CDC Updates Childhood Vaccine Schedule Nationwide
Health Points
- The CDC reduced the number of recommended childhood vaccines from 18 to 11, aligning more closely with Denmark’s approach.
- Some vaccines are now recommended only for high-risk groups or based on shared decision-making between doctors and families.
- Insurance coverage for all prior recommended vaccines will continue for those wishing to follow the previous schedule.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is updating the childhood immunization schedule to recommend fewer vaccines for all children.
Children will now be advised to get vaccines for 11 diseases, down from the previous 18, in a move the CDC says aims to rebuild public trust after the pandemic.
Senior health officials note that this adjustment is intended to address concerns about vaccine confidence, and not because specific vaccines were deemed unsafe or unnecessary.
“The loss of trust during the pandemic not only affected the COVID-19 vaccine uptake. It also contributed to less adherence to the full CDC childhood immunization schedule, with lower rates of consensus vaccines such as measles, rubella, pertussis, and polio,” reads the official scientific assessment.
While the U.S. will still routinely recommend vaccines for measles, mumps, rubella, polio, pertussis, tetanus, diphtheria, Hib, pneumococcal disease, HPV, and chickenpox, others will be optional or for high-risk children.
Vaccines for RSV, hepatitis A and B, dengue, and certain types of meningitis will be reserved for kids with higher risk, while shots like flu, COVID, and rotavirus can be given based on shared decision-making with healthcare providers.
According to Dr. David Margolius, Director of Public Health in Cleveland, “The best case scenario is that nothing will change. The worst case scenario is that this causes more confusion, more distrust, lower vaccination rates, and then just this trend of political parties and ideologies determining which vaccines people should get.”
These schedule changes do not affect insurance coverage, as all previously recommended vaccines will remain covered by federal plans and most private insurance at least through 2025.
Experts stress that the vaccine schedule serves as a guideline, with states continuing to set school vaccine requirements based on public health needs and input from science advisors.
Stay informed about the evolving guidance, talk with your healthcare provider, and make the best decisions for your family’s health.
