Recommendations for vaccines against influenza, rotavirus, meningococcus and hepatitis A have been removed without external scientific review - experts warn of serious consequences for children's health
United States have removed the long-standing recommendation to mandate vaccination of all children against influenza, rotavirus, meningococcal disease, and hepatitis A, leaving the decision to parents in consultation with health professionals as part of shared clinical decision-making. This step represents the realization of one of the long-standing goals of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
This measure has approved The acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Jim O'Neil, without the usual external review by the agency's experts. The new recommendations have marked continuing Kennedy's campaign to reduce childhood vaccinations.
US President Donald Trump had called since December of last year for the US to "adjust to other developed countries", while now has declared that the new vaccination schedule is "based on the gold standard of science."
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump congratulated him/her Kennedy and other health officials for this change.
"Many Americans have been praying for these GOOD REASON reforms for years. Thank you for bringing this issue to our attention!" wrote Trump, referring to Kennedy's "Make America Healthy Again" (MAHA) movement.
Kennedy, a well-known vaccine critic, has led even earlier efforts to remove universal recommendations for vaccinating children against COVID-19 and hepatitis B, claiming that vaccines are linked to autism, claims that scientists have they have rejected them constantly, the Telegraph reports.
Experts' warnings about possible consequences
Public health experts have warned that removing these recommendations could lead to hospitalizations and deaths that could have been prevented.
Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research at the University of Minnesota, has declared that a public debate should have taken place on the risks and benefits, as well as on the potential impact of removing the recommendations.
American Academy of Pediatrics President Sean O'Leary has emphasized that other developed countries face different disease risks and have different health systems compared to the U.S. Unlike the U.S., which relies on private health care, most countries offer universal, state-funded basic health care.
"Any decision on the US childhood vaccination schedule should be based on scientific evidence, transparency and established scientific processes, not on comparisons that overlook fundamental differences between countries or health systems," he said.
The importance of vaccination for children's health
Each of the vaccines mentioned has prevented diseases that once caused unnecessary hospitalizations and deaths in children, has assessed Jesse Goodman, professor at Georgetown University and former chief scientist at the FDA.
Vaccination against influenza has helped in preventing children's deaths from influenza, which during the 2024–2025 season has caused deaths of 288 children, according to CDC data. Hepatitis A, which affects the liver, usually calon myself, but has led even to hospitalizations and permanent liver damage.
Rotavirus, which causes diarrhea and dehydration, previously sending tens of thousands of children every year in hospitals, but vaccines they have done these extremely rare cases, has emphasized Goodman.
Although meningitis, a bacterial infection of the brain, has appeared rare in children, about 15 percent of those infected they have not reacted to antibiotics and have lost their lives, has added he.
Updated recommendations have saved immunization against 11 diseases, including measles, mumps and chickenpox, while other vaccines are classified as intended for high-risk groups or in the shared decision-making category, has announced Ministry of Health and Social Services. /Telegraph/
