The federal government is overhauling the vaccine schedule for children, cutting the number of immunizations.
The Department of Health and Human Services will still recommend the measles, mumps and rubella, along with polio, chickenpox, HPV and other vaccines, CNN reported.
It will only recommend the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), meningococcal, hepatitis B and hepatitis A vaccines for children who are at higher risk of infections.
As for flu, COVID-19 and rotavirus, those will be given after “shared clinical decision making,” or when people who want the shot talk with a medical provider first, CNN reported.
Here is the complete list and which category they fall into, according to HHS:
Recommended for all children:
- Diphtheria
- Tetanus
- Whooping cough
- Hib
- Pneumococcal conjugate
- Polio
- Measles
- Mumps
- Rubella
- HPV
- Varicella (chickenpox)
Recommended for those at high risk:
- Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)
- Hepatitis A
- Hepatitis B
- Dengue
- Meningococcal A
- Meningococcal B
Recommended based on shared clinical decision making:
- Rotavirus
- COVID-19
- Influenza
- Meningococcal disease (for non-high-risk)
- Hepatitis A (for non-high-risk)
- Hepatitis B (for non-high-risk)
Despite the changes, the HHS said that insurance will still cover the vaccinations without cost-sharing.
The changes are effective immediately, The New York Times reported.
The newspaper pointed out that states, not the federal government, have the authority to mandate vaccinations, but the government schedule influences state regulations.
Public health advocates said the federal government did not have evidence that supported the changes, nor did it use information from vaccine experts.
“The abrupt change to the entire U.S. childhood vaccine schedule is alarming, unnecessary and will endanger the health of children in the United States,” Dr. Helen Chu told the Times. Chu is a physician and immunologist at the University of Washington in Seattle and a former member of the vaccine advisory committee.
President Donald Trump told HHS Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. to align the country’s vaccine schedule with those of Denmark, Germany and Japan, the Times reported.
“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,” Kennedy said in a statement. “This decision protects children, respects families, and rebuilds trust in public health.”
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