U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention removed six vaccines from the recommended list for American children on Monday, a sweeping decision that could have widespread consequences for U.S. public health.
Before Monday, the CDC had recommended vaccines against 17 different diseases for children across the nation, but the decision announced Monday cut that number to 11.
The vaccines removed from the list include shots for rotavirus, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, influenza and meningitis, according to documents released by the federal Health Department.
Shots against measles, mumps, rubella, polio, pertussis, tetanus, diphtheria, haemophilus influenzae type B (Hib), pneumococcal disease, HPV and chickenpox remain recommended. However, the CDC cut the number of recommended HPV shots from two to one.
While the federal government does not mandate vaccines, most states make their own vaccine requirements based on the CDC’s list of recommended vaccines.
Numerous public health experts slammed the move, which upended years of precedent and bypassed traditional decision-making structures.
“Abandoning recommendations for vaccines that prevent influenza, hepatitis and rotavirus, and changing the recommendation for HPV without a public process to weigh the risks and benefits, will lead to more hospitalizations and preventable deaths among American children,” said Michael Osterholm of the Vaccine Integrity Project.
Other vaccines, including those for RSV and both types of hepatitis, were recommended only for “high-risk groups,” the CDC said. Despite the changes, insurance companies are still expected to cover the costs of all the vaccines through 2026.
Kennedy has been a longtime critic of vaccines and has taken various steps to limit them since taking over as health secretary following his nomination by President Trump. Trump requested the review of the CDC’s vaccine schedule last month, leading to Monday’s announcement.
During Kennedy’s tenure, he has overseen the largest measles outbreak in the U.S. in three decades and a 10-year high in tetanus cases, both of which can be prevented through childhood vaccination.
