In a major shift in public health policy, the United States has reduced the number of vaccines that are universally recommended for children.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will now advise routine vaccination against 11 diseases, down from about 17 previously. The change came after President Donald Trump, in December, asked the US Department of Health and Human Services to review how peer nations approach vaccine recommendations and consider revising the US schedule to align with their guidance.
Under the updated schedule, vaccines that were once recommended fr children—such as those against influenza (flu), rotavirus, hepatitis A and B, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), meningococcal disease, and COVID-19—are no longer universally advised.
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Instead, these shots are to be given only to children at higher risk or after “shared clinical decision-making” between parents and healthcare providers. Among the changes, the CDC now recommends a single dose of the human papillomavirus vaccine instead of two.
Trump said the new schedule was "rooted in the Gold Standard of Science" and aligns the United States with other developed nations.
However, the decision has sparked strong criticism from pediatricians and public health experts, who warn that reducing broad recommendations without a transparent scientific review could lead to lower vaccination rates and increase the risk of outbreaks of preventable diseases such as flu and rotavirus.
While the revised schedule still recommends key childhood vaccines for diseases like measles, polio, whooping cough, tetanus, and chickenpox, the controversy underscores deep tensions between efforts to personalise medical care and concerns about maintaining protection.
