CDC Lowers Vaccine Recommendations for Children at Trump's Direction, Sparking Widespread Criticism
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has slashed the number of recommended childhood vaccines from 17 to just 11, prompting swift and scathing criticism from leading medical experts. The drastic change was mandated by President Donald Trump in December, instructing the CDC to review best practices from other developed countries like Denmark, which recommends only 10 shots for its children.
According to the updated guidelines, vaccine doses against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), dengue, and early hepatitis A, B, and meningitis shots will be recommended only for high-risk groups. In contrast, COVID-19 and flu vaccines will now be administered based on "shared clinical decision making" between parents and doctors, leaving the ultimate decision up to individual families.
Despite the reduced number of vaccinations, health officials have emphasized that vaccines against measles, mumps, rubella, polio, tetanus, pertussis, diphtheria, Haemophilus influenzae type B (Hib), human papillomavirus (HPV), pneumococcal disease, and varicella remain mandatory.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has been vocal in its opposition to the changes, labeling them "dangerous and unnecessary." AAP President Dr. Andrew Racine stated that the decision was based on a brief review of other countries' practices, rather than rigorous scientific evidence.
"This ill-considered decision will sow further chaos and confusion and erode confidence in immunizations," Dr. Racine warned. The American Medical Association (AMA) has also expressed deep concern over the dropped recommendations, urging federal health agencies to recommit to a transparent, evidence-based process.
By reducing vaccine requirements, states may inadvertently increase the risk of preventable diseases among vulnerable populations. As the medical community continues to debate the merits of this policy shift, parents and pediatricians are left scrambling for guidance on how to make informed decisions about their children's health.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has slashed the number of recommended childhood vaccines from 17 to just 11, prompting swift and scathing criticism from leading medical experts. The drastic change was mandated by President Donald Trump in December, instructing the CDC to review best practices from other developed countries like Denmark, which recommends only 10 shots for its children.
According to the updated guidelines, vaccine doses against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), dengue, and early hepatitis A, B, and meningitis shots will be recommended only for high-risk groups. In contrast, COVID-19 and flu vaccines will now be administered based on "shared clinical decision making" between parents and doctors, leaving the ultimate decision up to individual families.
Despite the reduced number of vaccinations, health officials have emphasized that vaccines against measles, mumps, rubella, polio, tetanus, pertussis, diphtheria, Haemophilus influenzae type B (Hib), human papillomavirus (HPV), pneumococcal disease, and varicella remain mandatory.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has been vocal in its opposition to the changes, labeling them "dangerous and unnecessary." AAP President Dr. Andrew Racine stated that the decision was based on a brief review of other countries' practices, rather than rigorous scientific evidence.
"This ill-considered decision will sow further chaos and confusion and erode confidence in immunizations," Dr. Racine warned. The American Medical Association (AMA) has also expressed deep concern over the dropped recommendations, urging federal health agencies to recommit to a transparent, evidence-based process.
By reducing vaccine requirements, states may inadvertently increase the risk of preventable diseases among vulnerable populations. As the medical community continues to debate the merits of this policy shift, parents and pediatricians are left scrambling for guidance on how to make informed decisions about their children's health.
CDC just changed vaccine recs 4 kids cuz of trump 
and now experts r like "what is wrong w/ you ppl?" 
it's not even a good review of other countries' practices, just a bunch of random shots they cut out 
rsv & dengue? who thought that was a good idea? 
at least the covid & flu vaccines are still up to parents & docs to decide 
but i'm lowkey worried about the others... what if we're not prepared 4 an outbreak? 
need more info before i can even begin to react 
, I'm really worried about all these kids who won't have protection against so many diseases... I mean, what was Trump thinking? 
It seems like he didn't consult the right people or do his research before making such a huge decision. And now the parents are stuck with no clear answers 
to me!
about these changes!!! 
The CDC was doing a great job keeping our kids safe with 17 vaccines 
and now they're reducing it to just 11?!? 
It's like taking away the safety net 
. Can we rely on the CDC's new guidelines? 
. As a society, we're more concerned with "what other countries do" rather than relying on evidence-based medicine 
. The fact that it took a review from Denmark to make such drastic changes is concerning - what if the Danish approach isn't as effective? And by giving parents and doctors more autonomy over vaccine decisions, aren't we just putting more pressure on them to make difficult choices without adequate resources or support? 
?! seriously though, parents and kids need solid info to make informed decisions about their health. can't have us spreading around preventable diseases left & right 
or is it just a genuine attempt to simplify things? 
idk, but i do know that as a parent, making decisions about your kid's health can be overwhelming enough without having to navigate all this red tape 
Anyway, back to vaccines... I mean, I get why there are different opinions on this, but what really got me was the part about COVID-19 and flu vaccines being decided by parents and doctors together. That's kinda cool, actually... my friend's little sis has a super sensitive stomach and some vaccines always freak her out 
, so it's nice that they can make those decisions together. Still, I worry about what might happen if too many parents start saying no to certain shots... 
This is insane! I mean, what's next? Are they gonna tell us not to wash our hands because other countries do it less? 
And what's with the "shared clinical decision making" thing? Who's gonna make the hard decisions here? Parents or doctors? 
.
. No more compromising on their health and well-being 
. We should be working together to strengthen our healthcare system, not weakening it 
.
can't believe we're having to have this conversation again... like, what's next? Are they gonna tell us that air is optional too? 
. I mean, I know we want to give parents more control over their kids' healthcare, but come on... 11 vaccines is still a lot! 
what if something goes wrong? what if those diseases come back and wreak havoc on our hospitals? 
. I'm sure Dr Racine and all the other medical experts know what they're talking about, let's not dismiss their concerns 
.