WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced on Wednesday that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will remove several vaccines from its recommended childhood immunization schedule, a move spearheaded by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. that has sparked sharp reactions from public health experts and vaccine skeptics alike. The changes eliminate universal recommendations for vaccines against hepatitis A, rotavirus, and the seasonal flu, aligning the U.S. guidelines more closely with those in some other developed nations. This decision comes nearly a year after Kennedy, during his confirmation hearing in early 2025, pledged to uphold the existing CDC schedule, a commitment he has now openly disregarded.
The overhaul was signed off by acting CDC Director Jim O’Neill, who assumed the role last year following the firing of the previous director for refusing to comply with Kennedy’s directives. According to sources familiar with the process, the new recommendations were drafted by two close allies of Kennedy within HHS, bypassing the agency’s vaccine advisory board, which Kennedy restructured in 2025 to include members sympathetic to his views on vaccines. The announcement follows a request from President Donald Trump last month to harmonize U.S. policy with international standards, a shift that had been telegraphed in internal discussions for weeks.
HHS spokesperson Andrew Nixon defended the update in a statement, saying it “maintains strong protection against diseases that cause serious harm or provide clear community benefit, while aligning U.S. guidance with international norms.” He emphasized that the retained vaccines, including those for polio and measles, target illnesses that historically posed grave threats to children. Before the rotavirus vaccine was introduced, the CDC estimates it caused dozens of pediatric deaths annually and hospitalized hundreds of thousands more, while hepatitis A and flu can lead to severe complications like dehydration, liver inflammation, and respiratory distress.
Public health officials expressed alarm over the potential fallout. Daniel Jernigan, former director of the CDC’s National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, warned that demoting these vaccines “sends a message that those vaccines are of uncertain value.” He noted that vaccination rates have already declined in many states in recent years, and this change could exacerbate hesitancy, prompting parents to skip shots altogether. Jernigan’s concerns are echoed by broader trends: a fall 2025 survey found that just over half of Americans view the childhood vaccine schedule as safe, a dip in confidence that Kennedy has attributed to perceived corruption within public health agencies.
On the other side, Kennedy framed the adjustment as a step toward restoring trust. In public remarks, he described it as an effort to “rebuild trust in public health” by empowering families with more choice. Nixon echoed this sentiment, stating that the new schedule “returns decision-making to families.” Medicare and Medicaid chief Mehmet Oz added that insurers would continue covering the now-optional vaccines, shifting the responsibility to physicians and groups like the American Academy of Pediatrics to advocate for their use during well-child visits.
The decision builds on a year of turbulence at HHS under Kennedy’s leadership. Since taking office in January 2025, he has sidelined officials who challenged his skepticism toward vaccines, a stance he has promoted for two decades through advocacy groups and legal challenges. Last year’s remake of the CDC’s advisory committee installed members aligned with anti-vaccine perspectives, setting the stage for unilateral policy shifts. Critics argue this fiat approach undermines the scientific consensus that has kept deadly outbreaks at bay for generations.
Vaccine opponents celebrated the announcement as a long-awaited breakthrough. The Informed Consent Action Network (ICAN), which has funded millions in lawsuits against vaccine mandates, called it a “victory for American children.” ICAN CEO Del Bigtree, who served as communications director for Kennedy’s 2024 presidential campaign, told reporters that the change is “setting our children on the same path to health that Denmark enjoys.” He pointed to Denmark’s more limited schedule as a model, though experts note the Scandinavian country’s smaller population, greater homogeneity, and universal health care system make direct comparisons challenging.
Bigtree’s enthusiasm signals broader ambitions within Kennedy’s circle. Aaron Siri, a lawyer who has litigated against state vaccine requirements and advised Kennedy closely, expressed interest in further removals, particularly the polio vaccine and DTaP, which guards against diphtheria, tetanus, and whooping cough. Bigtree advocated for ending all vaccine mandates, viewing them as violations of the Nuremberg Code on medical ethics, even though CDC recommendations are not legally binding but often underpin school entry rules in states.
Mark Gorton, the entrepreneur behind the file-sharing platform LimeWire who now leads anti-vaccine efforts as co-president of the pro-Kennedy MAHA Institute, pushed for even more drastic measures. In an interview, Gorton said he favors withdrawing all pediatric vaccines from the market pending additional safety testing, despite decades of data affirming their efficacy and low risk of serious side effects. “Politically, we’re not there yet,” he acknowledged, but suggested momentum is building. Nixon declined to comment on whether HHS is pursuing such expansions.
The immediate effects could ripple through pediatric practices nationwide. With federal endorsement withdrawn, parents in cities from Appleton, Wisconsin, to Los Angeles may increasingly question routine shots during flu season or summer travel. This year’s severe flu outbreak, which has overwhelmed hospitals in multiple states, underscores the vulnerabilities: the CDC reported thousands of pediatric hospitalizations from influenza alone since October 2025.
Broader context reveals a patchwork of international approaches. The World Health Organization does not endorse universal vaccination for hepatitis A, rotavirus, or flu in all settings, citing varying disease burdens. For hepatitis B, the U.S. now limits recommendations to infants born to mothers with positive or unknown status, diverging from prior universal policy. In contrast, countries like the United Kingdom maintain flu shots for children, while others, including Denmark, prioritize based on risk factors.
Yet the U.S. changes arrive amid rising infectious disease threats. Measles, once declared eliminated in 2000, resurged last year, claiming three lives and prompting emergency declarations in several states. Whooping cough, or pertussis, caused more than a dozen deaths in 2025, largely among unvaccinated infants. These outbreaks highlight the herd immunity threshold—around 95% for measles—that faltering rates jeopardize, potentially inviting more severe epidemics if core vaccines like MMR or DTaP face future scrutiny.
Looking ahead, the policy’s trajectory remains uncertain but fraught. Kennedy’s allies view Wednesday’s announcement as a opening salvo in reshaping public health, potentially leading to mandates’ erosion or market withdrawals. Public health advocates, meanwhile, brace for confusion and complacency, urging pediatricians to counter misinformation at every appointment. As winter illnesses peak, the nation watches whether this recalibration safeguards children or sows seeds for preventable suffering.
In Appleton, local health officials echoed national concerns. Dr. Elena Vasquez, a pediatrician at Appleton Memorial Hospital, said her clinic has already fielded questions from worried parents. “We’ll keep recommending these vaccines because the data shows they save lives,” she said, emphasizing the hospital’s role in a community where vaccination rates hover around 85% for kindergarteners. Across the Midwest, similar preparations are underway to mitigate any dip in uptake.
Ultimately, the HHS move tests the balance between individual choice and collective protection in a polarized era. With Kennedy at the helm, the vaccine landscape could evolve rapidly, but the stakes—for fevers avoided, hospitalizations prevented, and outbreaks contained—remain profoundly high.