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Doctors and States Pivot to AAP Vaccine Guidance After CDC Narrows Childhood Schedule

Backed by major medical groups, the AAP keeps a broader schedule with RSV despite the abrupt federal change.

A child is vaccinated during an immunization event in the Panorama City neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, on October 24, 2025.
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Medical Assistant Loreal Velastegui prepares a flu vaccine to be administered at the Esperanza Health Centers Brighton Park North Clinic, Dec. 31, 2025. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)

Overview

  • The CDC on Jan. 5 cut routine childhood recommendations from 17 to 11 and shifted flu, rotavirus, hepatitis A, some hepatitis B, and meningococcal shots to shared decision-making or high‑risk use.
  • The American Academy of Pediatrics on Monday issued an updated schedule that continues routine vaccination for RSV, hepatitis A and B, rotavirus, influenza, and meningococcal disease.
  • Twelve national medical organizations, including the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Family Physicians, have endorsed the AAP guidance.
  • Many physicians say they will follow the AAP rather than the new federal schedule, citing unchanged evidence and growing parent confusion over the federal shift.
  • KFF reports that as of Jan. 20, 28 states are issuing advice that departs from federal guidelines, with all Democratic-led states rejecting the federal changes and only four Republican-led states doing so.