CDC Overhauls Childhood Vaccination Schedule, Reduces Number Of Recommended Shots

The Washington Post reports the Administration is “overhauling the list of routine shots recommended for all babies and children in the United States.” Effective immediately, the CDC will “no longer recommend every child receive vaccines for rotavirus, influenza, meningococcal disease, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), hepatitis A and hepatitis B, according to materials released Monday by the Department of Health and Human Services. Instead, smaller groups of children and babies should get those vaccines only if they are at high risk or if a doctor recommends it.”

The New York Times reports the CDC’s new schedule “continues to recommend vaccines against some diseases, including measles, polio and whooping cough, for all children,” but immunization for six other illnesses “will be recommended for only some high-risk groups or after consultation with a health care provider.” The new schedule also “circumvents the detailed and methodical evidence-based process that has underpinned vaccine recommendations in the nation for decades.” Public health experts “expressed outrage at the sweeping revisions, saying federal officials did not present evidence to support the changes or incorporate input from vaccine experts.”

The AP reports that Administration officials “said the overhaul…won’t result in families who want the vaccines losing access to them, and said insurance will continue to pay. But medical experts said the decision creates confusion for parents and could increase preventable diseases.” The change also comes as US vaccination rates are declining and “the share of children with exemptions has reached an all-time high, according to federal data.”

NBC News also reports.

Read full article from American Health Law here.