The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is reducing the number of vaccines recommended for children to those that protect against 11 diseases instead of the protections against 17 diseases it previously recommended.
By Jackie Flynn Mogensen edited by Lewis asked., Clara Moskowitz & Claire Cameron
Hepatitis B vaccines are among those affected by the CDC’s recently announced changes to the vaccination schedule.
Alyssa Pointer for the Washington Post via Getty Images
On Monday, the top public health agency in the United States cut the number of vaccines recommended for children. The move came just weeks after President Donald Trump ordered health officials to align the nation’s vaccination schedule with that of “developed peer nations” and months of actions by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., a longtime vaccine skeptic, undermined established vaccine science.
In practice, this means that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will no longer recommend the shots to protect against 17 diseases; instead, it will recommend vaccines for 11 diseases. Experts say the changes, which take effect immediately, endanger children.
“This is just a continuation of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s war on vaccines,” says Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center and professor of pediatrics at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
On supporting science journalism
If you enjoy this article, please consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribe. By purchasing a subscription, you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.
“I think he’s just trying to get the public to perceive vaccines as optional, as something that one can reasonably choose not to get,” adds Offit, who served on a CDC vaccine advisory committee before being fired by Kennedy earlier this year. According to STAT, this the panel was not involved in Monday’s announcement.
The CDC now recommends that all children receive vaccines against polio, measles, mumps and rubella, chickenpox, Haemophilus influenzae type B, pneumococcal disease, human papilloma virus (HPV), tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis. High-risk groups or populations may also be recommended shots for dengue, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, meningococcus ACWY, meningococcus B, and respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV. For other illnesses, including rotavirus, COVID and seasonal flu, the agency suggests people talk to their doctor.
“The data supports a more targeted program that protects children from the most serious infectious diseases while improving clarity, respect and public trust,” Acting CDC Director Jim O’Neill said in a statement. The statement does not cite the data O’Neill is referring to.
Private affordable care plans and federal insurance programs, including Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program and the Children’s Vaccine Program, will continue to cover all vaccines recommended by the previous immunization schedule at no additional cost, according to the release.
“It is [a] A massive, unprecedented change that blows away decades of success with childhood vaccines, ultimately making it harder for Americans to access vaccines,” says Katelyn Jetelina, an epidemiologist who started and helped edit the popular Your Local Epidemiologist newsletter. “Fewer children will be vaccinated and children will be harmed because of this decision.”
“This is a completely unscientific way of doing things and it’s not evidence-based,” says Angie Rasmussen, a virologist at the University of Saskatchewan.
“People won’t know what they’re supposed to do,” she said, adding that many people may end up not getting vaccinated on time.
The CDC’s shift away from making vaccines such as rotavirus or meningitis a matter of “shared clinical decision-making” is particularly worrisome in the case of diseases that most people consider rare — a sentiment that stems directly from the success of vaccines, says Peter Chin-Hong, a professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco.
The United States has had “decades of success” in fighting childhood illnesses, he said. New policies threaten this legacy. “Until now, we have been the benchmark for childhood disease prevention that other countries have admired. »
In a statementthe American Academy of Pediatrics denounced the decision, saying it “will sow more chaos and confusion and erode confidence in vaccinations. This is no way to make our country healthier.” The organization said it continues to support vaccination for diseases abandoned by the CDC and pledged to issue its own recommendations.
The decision will likely be challenged in court.
Additional reporting by Tanya Lewis and Lauren Young.
Editor’s Note (01/05/26): This article was edited after publication to include updated information. It has already been updated on January 5, 2026. This is a breaking news which may be updated later.
It’s time to defend science
If you enjoyed this article, I would like to ask for your support. Scientific American has been defending science and industry for 180 years, and we are currently experiencing perhaps the most critical moment in these two centuries of history.
I was a Scientific American subscriber since the age of 12, and it helped shape the way I see the world. SciAm always educates and delights me, and inspires a sense of respect for our vast and beautiful universe. I hope this is the case for you too.
If you subscribe to Scientific Americanyou help ensure our coverage centers on meaningful research and discoveries; that we have the resources to account for decisions that threaten laboratories across the United States; and that we support budding and working scientists at a time when the value of science itself too often goes unrecognized.
In exchange, you receive essential information, captivating podcastsbrilliant infographics, newsletters not to be missedunmissable videos, stimulating gamesand the best writings and reports from the scientific world. You can even give someone a subscription.
There has never been a more important time for us to stand up and show why science matters. I hope you will support us in this mission.
