USA cuts universal childhood vaccine recommendations, aligns schedule with peer developed nations

By SUZANNE DOWNING

The United States has just reduced the number of vaccines it recommends for every child, cutting universal protection against several diseases in a move that immediately reshapes the nation’s childhood immunization schedule.

Under guidance issued Monday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, vaccines are now universally recommended for protection against 11 diseases, down from the broader schedule the US has maintained for about 16-18 diseases.

No longer recommended for all children are vaccines against influenza, rotavirus, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and certain forms of meningococcal disease.

Instead, those vaccines will now be recommended only for children considered high-risk or when parents and physicians agree under a “shared decision-making” model.

Trump administration officials said the change does not limit access to vaccines for families who want them. According to federal health officials, insurance coverage will remain in place and physicians may continue offering the vaccines based on individual medical judgment.

The overhaul follows a December directive from President Donald Trump instructing the Department of Health and Human Services to review how other developed nations structure their childhood vaccine schedules and to consider whether US recommendations should be revised to align more closely with international norms.

HHS officials said their review of immunization schedules in 20 peer nations found that the United States had become an international outlier, recommending more vaccines and more doses of those vaccines for children than any other high-income country.

In some cases, the US recommended more than twice as many universal childhood vaccinations as certain European nations.

Countries such as Denmark recommend routine vaccination against approximately just 10 diseases, while Germany and the United Kingdom recommend about 15. Japan recommends protection against roughly 14 diseases.

Federal officials said the revised schedule is intended to increase public confidence by focusing universal recommendations on what they describe as the most critical childhood vaccinations, while allowing flexibility based on medical risk, regional conditions, and physician guidance.

Remaining on the universal recommendation list are vaccines against measles, pertussis (whooping cough), polio, tetanus, chickenpox, and human papillomavirus (HPV).

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has long advocated for reexamining the scope of childhood vaccination policy, arguing that tailoring recommendations more closely to risk profiles and international practices could improve public trust in federal health guidance.

Medical and pediatric associations quickly criticized the move, warning that narrowing universal recommendations could reduce vaccination rates and increase the risk of outbreaks for diseases that have largely been kept in check through broad immunization.

Historically, the United States adopted a more expansive childhood immunization schedule than most peer nations, citing broader population health risks, higher disease exposure, and a preventive public-health philosophy. Other countries often tailor schedules to local epidemiology, health-system capacity, and other considerations, sometimes adding region-specific vaccines, such as tuberculosis immunization in high-burden countries, that the US does not routinely recommend.

As of Jan. 5, the CDC’s revised schedule places the United States closer to international consensus.