Trump Administration Cuts the Number of Vaccines Recommended for Every Child

The Trump administration on Monday reduced the number of vaccines that federal guidance recommends for every child, leaving other immunizations, including flu shots, to families to decide without clear guidance, according to The Associated Press. HHS announced the change, and medical experts told the AP it was made without public discussion.

The decision grew out of a December request from President Donald Trump, who asked the Department of Health and Human Services to review how peer nations handle vaccine recommendations and to consider aligning U.S. guidance with theirs, the AP reported. HHS compared the United States with 20 peer nations and described this country as an “outlier” in both the number of vaccines and the number of doses recommended for all children. Officials framed the change as a way to build public trust by recommending only the most important vaccines for everyone.

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said in a statement quoted by the AP: “This decision protects children, respects families, and rebuilds trust in public health.” Officials also said no family will lose access to vaccines or insurance coverage because of the change, the AP reported.

Medical groups responded quickly and critically, mostly on the grounds of process rather than on any new data. Michael Osterholm of the University of Minnesota’s Vaccine Integrity Project said the move would “lead to more hospitalizations and preventable deaths among American children,” citing the dropped recommendations for vaccines that prevent influenza, hepatitis and rotavirus, according to the AP. Medical experts told the news agency the change was made without public discussion or a transparent review of the data, and could reduce vaccine uptake and increase disease.

The American Medical Association said it is “deeply concerned by recent changes to the childhood immunization schedule.” In a statement attributed to trustee Dr. Sandra Adamson Fryhofer, the group said such a change needed careful review, expert and public input and clear scientific justification, and that “the scientific evidence remains unchanged.” It said it supports continued access to immunizations recommended by national medical specialty societies and urged federal health leaders to adopt a transparent, evidence-based process.

The Infectious Diseases Society of America, in a statement from its president, Dr. Ronald G. Nahass, criticized HHS for “drastically altering the U.S. childhood vaccine schedule without a transparent process or clear scientific justification.” The society warned that upending long-standing recommendations without public review and outside expert input could erode trust in vaccines, lower vaccination rates and increase disease, particularly while outbreaks of vaccine-preventable illnesses continue.

The two sides are arguing about different things. The administration says its aim is to restore confidence by narrowing what it asks every family to do, and that choice remains available. The medical societies say the evidence has not changed and that the way the decision was reached, rather than the idea of comparing schedules with other countries, is the problem. According to the AP, universal recommendations were dropped for vaccines that prevent influenza, hepatitis and rotavirus, and the HPV recommendation was also changed.