US revises childhood vaccine schedule
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The CDC on Monday dramatically reduced the number of vaccines it recommends for all children. Here’s what parents should know.
In the midst of what could be one of the most severe flu seasons on record, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s CDC has ceased recommending all children get vaccinated for the seasonal flu, along with five other previously recommended vaccines.
The U.S. no longer broadly recommends vaccines for flu, hepatitis A, rotavirus and meningococcal disease. Health officials say the guidance aligns with that of peer countries.
California and other Western states reject CDC’s scaled-back vaccine guidance, pledging to follow full immunization schedule for kids.
President Donald Trump and Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. have repeatedly pushed to cut back the number of recommended vaccinations, and on Monday they scaled down the U.S. immunization schedule, reiterating that Americans get more shots than people in peer countries such as Denmark.
As part of the new schedule, HHS will no longer broadly recommend influenza, COVID-19, rotavirus, and other previously recommended immunizations. It now recommends 11 vaccines for all children, down from previously recommending vaccinations to protect against 18 different diseases in 2024.
Bayer's Monsanto sued COVID-19 vaccine makers Pfizer, BioNTech and Moderna in Delaware federal court on Tuesday for allegedly misusing its messenger RNA technology in manufacturing their vaccines, a Bayer spokesperson confirmed.