Overview
- Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. directed a cut to the CDC childhood schedule, reducing universal recommendations from 17 diseases to 11 and shifting vaccines such as influenza, hepatitis A and B, rotavirus, RSV, and some meningococcal shots to risk-based or shared decision-making use.
- The American Academy of Pediatrics and five partner groups amended their federal lawsuit to vacate the overhaul and to halt the next ACIP meeting, with a preliminary injunction hearing set for Feb. 13.
- Major providers including Children’s National, Texas Children’s, Seattle Children’s, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, and CHOP said they will follow AAP guidance, and Cleveland Clinic said it is still offering all vaccines.
- Massachusetts formally issued state guidance aligned with the AAP and refused the federal changes, as Northeast and West Coast coalitions and local health leaders such as Marin County also said they will stick with prior schedules; states retain authority over school-entry requirements.
- Canada’s NACI said it will not mirror the U.S. shift, and vaccine experts warn the split between federal advice and provider or state policies could confuse families and fragment access.