U.S. changes childhood vaccine schedule to require fewer immunizations – Los Angeles Times
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced on January 5, 2026, that it is eliminating routine childhood vaccinations for numerous diseases previously covered under federal recommendations. Children will still receive vaccines for measles, mumps, rubella, polio, pertussis, tetanus, diphtheria, Hib, pneumococcal disease, HPV, and chickenpox, but vaccinations for hepatitis A and B, rotavirus, RSV, bacterial meningitis, influenza, and COVID-19 are now classified as optional through “shared clinical decision-making.” Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime vaccine opponent, stated the changes “protect children, respect families, and rebuild trust in public health.”
The policy reversal stems from a December 2025 presidential memorandum signed by President Trump directing the health department to align the pediatric vaccine schedule with practices from peer-developed countries, specifically citing Denmark’s more limited schedule of 10 diseases. However, public health experts including Dr. Kelly Gebo of George Washington University’s Milken Institute School of Public Health note that Denmark’s approach reflects its disease prevalence, universal healthcare system, and higher screening rates for conditions like hepatitis B—factors absent in the United States, where less than 85% of pregnant women receive hepatitis B screening.
Pediatricians and public health officials rejected the changes as dangerous and unnecessary. Dr. René Bravo, president of the California Medical Association, stated the decision “undermines decades of evidence-based public health policy and sends a deeply confusing message to families at a time when vaccine confidence is already under strain.” The American Academy of Pediatrics condemned the schedule as “dangerous and unnecessary” and announced it will continue publishing its own independent immunization recommendations.
The federal changes follow a pattern of health authority reversals under Trump appointees. A Kennedy-led CDC panel previously voted to drop the routine newborn hepatitis B vaccination, a decision that contradicts 35 years of disease elimination since the vaccine’s 1991 introduction. Dr. James Alwine, a virologist with Defend Public Health, characterized the rollback as releasing “viruses and bacteria that were under control” onto vulnerable populations, describing the policy as fundamentally incompatible with disease prevention efforts in the United States.
Insurance companies remain required to fully cover all vaccines on the revised schedule, including those now designated optional. Four states—California, Oregon, Washington, and Hawaii—announced in September they would adopt independent immunization schedules based on American Academy of Pediatrics and other medical group recommendations, effectively rejecting the federal revision.