U.S. health officials have significantly revised childhood immunization guidelines, reducing the number of universally recommended vaccines from 17 to 11 diseases. The new schedule, announced by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, now categorizes several vaccines—including those for hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and COVID-19 as based on individual risk or subject to “shared clinical decision-making” between doctors and parents. President Donald Trump praised the change as scientifically grounded.
The policy overhaul, led by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has drawn sharp criticism from medical groups. The American Academy of Pediatrics called the move “dangerous and unnecessary,” warning it will create confusion and erode public trust in vaccines. The administration defended the change, stating it aligns the U.S. more closely with schedules in peer nations such as Denmark, though critics emphasized vast differences in population and public health infrastructure between the countries.
