The U.S. took the unprecedented step Monday of dropping the number of vaccines it recommends for every child—leaving other immunizations, such as flu shots, open to families to choose but without clear guidance.
The new list of recommended vaccines, issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, includes polio and measles, but others such as hepatitis A and B, and Covid vaccines are recommended based on risk and “shared clinical decision-making” between doctors and parents.
Officials said the overhaul to the federal vaccine schedule won’t result in any families losing access or insurance coverage for vaccines, but medical experts slammed the move, saying it could lead to preventable hospitalizations and deaths.
The overhaul is the latest sweeping policy change made under the Trump administration by health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr. Last month President Donald Trump urged the U.S. to “align with other developed nations” by reducing the number of shots for children.
Kennedy, has previously led efforts to drop universal recommendations for COVID-19 and hepatitis B shots for children, citing links to autism that scientists have repeatedly debunked.
Photo: Representational
