Six routine childhood vaccines will no longer be universally recommended under new guidelines announced this week from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), based in Atlanta, Georgia. Some vaccinations will need approval from a healthcare provider. The CDC has dropped recommendations for childhood immunizations for rotavirus, influenza, meningococcal disease, and hepatitis A, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Some vaccines including meningitis, hepatitis A and B, and RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) vaccines are recommended for “high-risk individuals only,” but HHS does not define this group. HHS has also changed its recommendations for the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, endorsing only a single dose instead of a two-shot series.
The total number of recommended childhood vaccinations will be reduced from 17 shots to 11 for most children. In opposition to the CDC recommendations, there is a more trustworthy, less ideologically charged, childhood schedule from the American Academy of Pediatrics.
