On January 5, the CDC reduced the number of vaccines it recommends for children from 17 to 11. The change was made without input from the CDC’s vaccine advisory committee and without an evident scientific rationale. It followed news that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will no longer require states to report childhood vaccination rates. Federal health officials said that the update is intended to align the U.S. with peer nations, specifically Denmark, which recommends fewer childhood vaccines than other developed nations. Under the revised guidance, the CDC now divides recommended childhood vaccines into three categories: all, high-risk, and shared clinical decision-making.
- All: Vaccines against diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis (DTaP or Tdap); measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR); polio; varicella (chickenpox); Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib); pneumococcal; and human papillomavirus (HPV) are recommended for all children.
- High-risk: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV); hepatitis A; hepatitis B; meningococcal (bacterial meningitis); and dengue vaccines are recommended for high-risk populations.
- Shared clinical decision-making: The CDC advises parents to consult their health care provider to determine whether their child needs vaccines for rotavirus, COVID-19, flu, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and meningococcal disease.
In response, experts described the change as “arbitrary” and “dangerous,” warning that it may increase hesitancy and reduce vaccine uptake, putting vulnerable infants and children at increased risk. Many social media users, including parents, expressed confusion and concern that the new schedule could lead to more disease outbreaks and make vaccines less accessible. Online, some supporters of the updated schedule repeated false claims that children in the U.S. receive over 70 vaccinations and falsely linked childhood vaccines to autism and other chronic illnesses.
Recommendation
Changes to the childhood vaccine schedule, particularly when made without clear scientific justification, may undermine confidence in long-standing immunization guidance and contribute to confusion among parents and providers, potentially affecting vaccination decisions and coverage. Using caution when addressing such claims is recommended to avoid repeating or amplifying them.
Health communicators may continue to lead with evidence from trusted sources like the American Academy of Pediatrics and emphasize that the science has not changed: Decades of research support the safety and effectiveness of childhood vaccines.
Debunking messaging may note that claims about children receiving “too many vaccines” have circulated for decades and that there is no evidence supporting harm from the recommended schedule. Research shows that each vaccine works with a child’s immune system to fight deadly diseases before kids are exposed. Major medical groups, including the AAP, have rejected the CDC’s updated schedule and continue to support evidence-based vaccine recommendations.
Messaging may also emphasize that public health recommendations reflect the specific health systems and population contexts of each country, and that Denmark, which has universal health care and a smaller population than New York City, is not a directly comparable model for the U.S.
Finally, health communicators should anticipate questions from parents and providers about how the updated guidance will be interpreted and applied in practice. These may include whether clinicians can continue to follow the prior CDC schedule for children who are not classified as high risk, how insurance coverage may be affected for vaccines moved out of the “all” category, how shared clinical decision-making is expected to work in routine pediatric care, and how the revised federal guidance interacts with existing state immunization requirements.
Fact-checking sources: AAP, CIDRAP, Factcheck.org
Communication resources: How to communicate about shared clinical decision-making
