On Jan. 5, 2026, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced an updated childhood immunization schedule. The new schedule includes three categories: vaccines recommended for all children; vaccines recommended for high risk populations, such as those with underlying conditions or unusual exposure; and immunizations based on shared clinical decision-making, meaning patients make individual decisions after consulting with a physician.
As a result, several vaccines – including COVID-19, RSV, meningococcal B, hepatitis A and B, and mpox—are now recommended by the CDC based on age, health status or exposure risk rather than as routine vaccinations for all children or adults.
This change followed a directive by President Trump instructing the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to reevaluate the scientific research and compare the U.S. childhood vaccination schedules with other developed countries.
Federal officials reviewed 20 peer countries and found the U.S. was an outlier in the number and frequency of recommended vaccines with no correlation to higher overall vaccination rates.
“Many peer nations that recommend fewer routine vaccines achieve strong child health outcomes and maintain high vaccination rates through public trust and education rather than mandates. For example, in 2024, the U.S. recommended more childhood vaccines than any peer nation, and more than twice as many doses as some European nations,” the CDC said in a press release.
Based on this report, the CDC scaled back vaccine recommendations. However, Dr. Mehmet Oz, the administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), said that all vaccines currently recommended by the CDC will remain covered by insurance.
The CDC changes have been met with strong resistance from national medical organizations. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the nation’s leading association of pediatricians, called the new recommendations “dangerous and unnecessary.”
According to AAP President Andrew D. Ravine, “AAP continues to recommend that children be immunized against these diseases, and for good reason; thanks to widespread childhood immunizations, the United States has fewer pediatric hospitalizations and fewer children facing serious health challenges than we would without this community protection,”
Local physicians are also concerned about this change. Dr. Lauren Maskin, a pediatric hospitalist at Children’s Nebraska, is worried that the current CDC guidance will put children at risk to develop more acute and chronic conditions if they are not vaccinated
Maskin noted that getting the flu can lead to missed school, hospitalization, and death. Almost half of children who die from influenza each year have no underlying medical conditions.
Maskin also expressed concern that the CDC’s change could flag more general distrust of vaccines and science.
“I am also concerned that the changes will lessen vaccine rates for other infections not included in the changes because we’ve eroded trust in this important public health intervention and the scientists, physicians, and health experts,” Maskin said.
Dr. Ann Anderson Berry is a local neonatologist at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Anderson Berry shares Maskin’s concerns that the CDC changes will erode trust in vaccines and said the changes could be “devastating for our country.” Specific to the newborns, Anderson Berry emphasized that all babies are at risk for RSV.
“One hundred percent of the U.S. neonatal population through age two is at risk for RSV,” Anderson Berry said.
Although the CDC changes were based on a review of scientific research and the vaccine schedules of 20 other countries, the AAP notes that vaccine recommendations are based on the risk of exposure to a disease in a specific population and how that disease impacts health. Diseases such as yellow fever or malaria, for example, are not routinely vaccinated against in the U.S. because they are not prevalent, but vaccines are routinely recommended in other countries where those diseases pose a greater risk.
Anderson Berry agreed with the AAP and explained that there are several other important differences about the United States that impact public health.
“We don’t have guaranteed health care coverage in the United States [or] prolonged family leave when a baby is born,” Anderson-Berry said. “Therefore, we need to use vaccination as a public health measure to ensure that babies stay safe.”
In addition, Anderson Berry noted that the U.S. is a large and diverse country with people traveling regularly leading to a significant risk to spread infectious disease. Another factor is that many people in the U.S. live in densely populated cities where disease can spread quickly.
Dr. Anderson Berry also explained that vaccines in the U.S. are only approved after very rigorous scientific research and study, including proof of their safety.
“For a vaccine to be considered for the schedule there first had to be a need to protect people…from serious morbidities (harm like needing hospitalization or a ventilator or brain damage) and mortality. Then…that vaccine needs to be proven to be safe [and effective],” said Anderson Berry.
Maskin agreed, noting that potential side effects of vaccines are minimal compared with the dangers of the diseases they prevent.
“[T]here are risks with any medical intervention, … [but] generally speaking the risks of vaccines are far, far less than the actual infections themselves,” Maskin noted.
As a result of the extensive research on the safety and effectiveness of vaccines, both Maskin and Anderson Berry will continue to recommend the traditional recommendations for vaccines for their patients, as will most pediatricians.
“Fortunately, the CDC is not the only authority and parents and pediatricians can now follow the American Academy of Pediatrics vaccine schedule for the most complete and protective plan.” Maskin pointed out.
In late January, the AAP along with more than a half dozen other medical groups filed a lawsuit to reverse the CDC changes to the vaccine schedule, arguing the updates are unlawful.
While differing recommendations from the federal government, professional organizations, and doctors may be confusing, all agree parents should consult their doctor when making vaccine decisions.
