Experts oppose US decision to cut number of recommended vaccines for children

The US has reduced the number of recommended childhood vaccines from 17 to 11 under a new policy, prompting concern from medical experts.

Getting immunized is an integral part of children’s lives, preventing them from catching infectious diseases, considering their vulnerable state. 

Newborn babies are recommended to get vaccinated against various diseases, such as Hepatitis B and respiratory syncytial virus.

Trump’s new policy overhaul on vaccines

On Monday, the government introduced a new policy change on vaccines for children under the Trump administration, spearheaded by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is now recommending that all children get vaccinated against 11 diseases, including measles, whooping cough, polio, tetanus, chickenpox, and human papillomavirus, or HPV, but recommendations for vaccine doses against HPV are being reduced from two or three shots, depending on age, to one for most children.

What’s no longer recommended are vaccines against flu, rotavirus, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and some forms of meningitis or RSV. 

These vaccines are only recommended for “high-risk” groups, or they will be given based on “shared clinical decision-making” between doctors and parents.

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Access to vaccines will remain, officials say

According to officials, despite the policy change, this does not mean that families who want to get their children vaccinated against these diseases will lose access to them; insurance will continue to cover the costs.

Officials at the US Department of Health and Human Services said the policy update is intended to strengthen public confidence by focusing recommendations on the most essential childhood vaccines. 

Kennedy added that the move is designed to safeguard children, honor family choices, and restore trust in public health.

Medical experts warn of increased risks

However, members of the medical community have strongly criticised the decision, warning that it could create confusion among parents and lead to an increase in preventable diseases.

Health experts argue that changes to vaccination policy without broader public consultation could put children at greater risk.

Michael Osterholm of the Vaccine Integrity Project said abandoning recommendations for certain vaccines “without a public process to weigh the risks and benefits will lead to more hospitalisations and preventable deaths among American children.”

Dr Sean O’Leary of the American Academy of Pediatrics also criticised the move, saying the decisions could place children’s health and lives at risk.

“You can’t just copy and paste public health, and that’s what they seem to be doing here,” O’Leary said. “Children’s health and children’s lives are at stake,” he added. 

Concerns over flu and rotavirus infections

O’Leary singled out the flu vaccine, which doctors recommend for everyone from the age of six months.

He said the government was wrong to end its recommendation for flu vaccinations as the country enters flu season.

Last winter, the US recorded 280 child deaths linked to influenza.

He also warned that rotavirus infections could resurge if vaccination rates decline.

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