In an unprecedented overhaul of vaccine recommendations for children, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently announced a major shift in suggested vaccines. While the vaccine schedule for children has typically consisted of 18 shots, the health agency is now only advising shots against 11 diseases.
The recommended shots that are still in rotation include those combating measles, mumps, rubella, polio, pertussis, tetanus, diphtheria, Haemophilus influenzae type B (Hib), pneumococcal disease, HPV and chickenpox. Shots for RSV, meningitis, dengue, hepatitis A and B are only encouraged for high-risk groups. Additionally, the CDC suggests that families use “shared clinical decision-making” with their doctor to decide on flu, COVID-19 and rotavirus vaccinations.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and federal officials stress that the change aligns with Denmark’s approach to vaccines (which is a limited approach) and is meant to restore trust in public health that was lost during the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Helen Chu, an infectious disease professor at the University of Washington, stated, “The abrupt change to the entire US childhood vaccine schedule is alarming, unnecessary, and will endanger the health of children in the United States.”
Parents who still wish to have their children fully vaccinated will still have access to those shots, but may have to explicitly ask for them at the pediatrician’s office. Insurers should still cover the cost of those shots without cost-sharing.
Where this new schedule may cause disruption, is that it could eventually heavily influence insurance coverage and school requirements. Schools and daycare centers typically follow the recommendations of the CDC and this new schedule could raise the risk of disease outbreaks.
