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US lowers recommendations for childhood vaccines, including COVID and hepatitis

2026-01-05 22:09:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

US lowers recommendations for childhood vaccines, including COVID and hepatitis

A review of childhood immunization guidelines in the US has reduced the number of vaccines the CDC recommends from 17 to 10.

The new list of recommended vaccines, released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, includes polio and measles vaccines, but others such as hepatitis A and B, as well as the Covid vaccine, are recommended based on risk and shared clinical decision-making between doctors and parents, the announcement said. The revision is the latest major policy change under the Trump administration by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Kennedy said the new rules came after a thorough review and protect children, respect families and rebuild trust in public health.

"We are aligning the U.S. childhood vaccination schedule with international consensus, strengthening transparency and informed consent," Kennedy said.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) compared the existing recommendation for children with 20 developed countries and found that the US was a global outlier in the number of diseases covered and the number of doses, the Department of Health and Human Services said.

Monday's announcement came weeks after a CDC panel issued a new recommendation about when children should get their first hepatitis B vaccine. Previously, a first dose was recommended for infants within 24 hours of birth, but revised guidelines last December moved that to two months later if the mother was negative for hepatitis B.

The recommendation was sharply criticized by pediatricians, with the American Academy of Pediatrics describing it as a dangerous move that will harm children.

For now, insurance will continue to cover vaccines that are still recommended at the end of 2025./CNA, translated by BBC





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