CDC Drops Universal Recommendation for COVID-19, Flu, Hepatitis and Other Childhood Vaccines

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has significantly revised its recommended childhood immunization schedule for 2026, reducing the number of vaccines universally recommended for all children from 17 to 11, a shift that moves several immunizations into risk-based or parent-directed decision categories and marks a major change in national vaccine policy. The updated schedule, approved in December 2025 by the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), took effect January 1, 2026, and has been published on the agency’s website. CDC officials said the revisions follow a directive from the Trump administration to align U.S. vaccination policy more closely with peer nations, such as Denmark, that administer fewer routine childhood vaccines while reporting comparable health outcomes. According to the CDC, vaccines that are no longer universally recommended for all children include those for rotavirus, meningococcal disease, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, COVID-19, and...