Recent CDC Vaccine Schedule Changes: What Parents Need to Know (01/08/26)

What’s happening

Over the past few weeks, many families have seen headlines about changes to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC)’s recommended childhood vaccine schedule. We at MVP care deeply about following evidence-based medicine. In our practice, we now follow the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Recommended Immunization Schedule, and that decision is very intentional.

The CDC recently announced proposed changes to which vaccines are considered “routine” for all infants and children in the U.S. Under this updated framework, several vaccines—including rotavirus, influenza, meningococcal disease, RSV, hepatitis A, and hepatitis B—would no longer be universally recommended for all children by the CDC, but would instead fall under categories such as shared or individual clinical decision-making. This means that the number of universally recommended immunizations from the CDC will decrease from 18 to 11.

Importantly:

These are recommendations only
No vaccines are being removed
Insurance coverage has not changed at this time
Families who want these vaccines can still receive them
Nothing has been taken away

The AAP represents tens of thousands of pediatric experts across the U.S. and develops its vaccine recommendations through a rigorous, evidence-based process that reviews disease burden, vaccine safety, vaccine effectiveness, and real-world outcomes in children. The AAP continues to strongly recommend on-time, routine immunization for all children and adolescents as the safest and most effective way to prevent serious illness, disability, and death.

Here in New York, the Department of Health and the NYC Health Department have rejected all recent and unilateral changes to the CDC immunization schedule and have not removed any vaccines from the New York State schedule. NYC schools and childcare programs still require routine childhood immunizations for attendance, including vaccines that the American Academy of Pediatrics continues to recommend. Those requirements have not changed, and families should not expect exemptions or policy shifts based on the recent CDC announcement.

This means that for children living in New York:

School and daycare vaccine requirements remain in place and have not changed
Routine childhood immunizations are still expected
Pediatric practices are continuing to follow established pediatric guidance

Why this feels different

Historically, the U.S. childhood vaccine schedule has been developed through a careful, transparent process led by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). That process includes in-depth review of safety data, effectiveness, disease burden, and expert input from pediatricians and infectious disease specialists.

These recent changes were released outside of that traditional process and without new scientific evidence showing that fewer vaccines make children safer. This departure has raised concerns across the pediatric and public health community.

Why the U.S. vaccine schedule exists

The U.S. schedule was built over decades based on:

Which diseases are still circulating
How serious those diseases are in children
When children are most vulnerable

You may hear comparisons to countries like Denmark, which recommends fewer routine vaccines. While those comparisons come up frequently in the current discussion, it’s important to understand that vaccine schedules are designed around local realities. The U.S. has a much larger population, higher international travel, and broader disease circulation. Our schedule reflects that reality.

It’s also worth knowing that today’s vaccines are far more targeted than older vaccines. Even though children are protected against more diseases, modern vaccines contain far fewer immune-stimulating components than schedules from decades ago.

Vaccine safety hasn’t changed

Vaccines remain among the most closely monitored medical products in use. They are:

Studied extensively before approval
Continuously monitored after approval
Re-evaluated when safety questions arise

We have seen vaccine recommendations change in the past when data supported it. What’s different now is that there is no new evidence showing that reducing routine childhood vaccination improves safety. The evidence we do have shows these vaccines are safe and highly effective.

Many of the infections now being discussed as “optional” still cause serious illness. We see them less often largely because vaccines have been so successful. When vaccination rates fall, those diseases return. The recent rise in measles cases in the U.S. is a clear example of this.

What this means for your child’s care

For families in our practice, nothing has changed.

We will continue to follow the AAP vaccine schedule
Vaccines remain available, and insurance coverage is unchanged at this time
We do not recommend skipping vaccines that protect against serious diseases simply because they are no longer labeled “routine” by the CDC