The recommended vaccine schedule for children has been reduced from 17 to 11 vaccines, according to a recent announcement by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
The decision comes after a presidential memorandum directing the HHS and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to compare the U.S. immunization schedule to those of “peer, developed countries.”
In June of 2025, members of the Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices were dismissed by the HHS “under the leadership of HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.” to be replaced by a new set of ACIP members. This January, six vaccines were removed from the vaccine schedule and are no longer recommended for all children by the CDC.
Those immunizations include:
- Rotavirus
- Influenza
- Hepatitis A
- Hepatitis B
- COVID-19
- Meningococcal vaccines
Additionally, the HPV vaccine, which is typically at least two doses, is now only recommended for one dose. It is suggested that children who have a higher risk of infection should receive the vaccines that were removed from the schedule.
“This is just a recipe for disaster,” says Dr. Tyler B. Evans, an infectious disease specialist and CEO of Wellness Equity Alliance. “There’s no science to back any of this. We have some of the best science to support what we had. And there was no reason to change it.”
Here are the major concerns Evans and other public health experts have about the changes to the vaccine schedule for children. Plus, how people can navigate the updates.
A change to the vaccine schedule can lead to access issues, doctor says
For decades, the U.S. vaccine schedule has worked really well, Evan says, and he still recommends that children receive the shots that were removed from the recommended list. HHS encourages parents to practice “shared clinical decision making” by consulting with their child’s doctor about which vaccines they should receive.
“The more variability there’s going to be, the more there’s going to be challenges with us actually being able to order the vaccinations and have them in real time,” Evan says.
“What happens is we’ll order the vaccinations. ‘They’re currently out of stock. Let’s have you come back in three weeks.’ Guess what? They’re not going to come back.”
And in worst cases, without certain immunizations on the vaccine schedule, some parents may not understand why their doctors are recommending shots that aren’t being recommended by the CDC and HHS, he says. This can fuel medical distrust, Evans adds.
Schools may also face challenges when enforcing vaccine entry requirements, he explains.
“We’re disrupting the current operations and the trust between patients, providers and systems that govern the providers [like] state health departments and federal agencies,” Evans says. “We’re also significantly impacting the ways in which a lot of these vaccines may potentially get funded right now.”
Though HHS officials say the changes won’t lead to insurance companies refusing to cover the price of the vaccinations that are no longer recommended, Evans says there may still be barriers when it comes to cost.
“Now that the federal government recommends just one dose of HPV (instead of the previously recommended two to three doses), insurers will not be required to cover an additional dose should parents seek one,” according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. The price of one dose of the HPV vaccine can cost over $300, KFF reports.
AHIP, a trade association for health insurance companies in the U.S., released a statement this past September stating it will cover the cost of all vaccinations that were recommended by the ACIP on September 1, 2025, through the end of 2026.
Talking to primary care providers is ‘all we have right now’
“The best way for [parents] to navigate this is really just talk to their primary care providers,” Evans says. “The reality is that’s kind of all we have. That’s all we have right now.”
He notes that messaging about vaccines can vary state to state. “It really depends on the state that you’re [in],” he says. “I would probably not say listen to your state guidelines.”
Reference the vaccine schedules recommended by “trusted institutions” like the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Family Practice, Evans suggests.
“The more barriers that we create, the more that the populations are going to suffer,” Evan says.
“The more that we make these changes to systems that actually worked really well, the more that we’re going to see our most vulnerable populations get sick.”
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