Experts noted that while prior changes under the current administration affected individual vaccines, the latest revisions reshape the overall framework of childhood immunization guidance. The updated schedule, which takes effect immediately, was issued by Jim O’Neill, acting director of the CDC. It marks one of the most consequential public health policy shifts under HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr, who has repeatedly questioned the scope of childhood vaccination in the United States. “Stealth announcements of seismic changes in vaccine policy should include experts in pediatrics, infectious diseases and immunology,” Daskalakis said. “Comparing the U.S. childhood immunization schedule to that of Denmark or other countries ignores fundamental differences in population size, diversity, healthcare access, and infectious disease risk,” said Hopkins.

Source: New York Times January 05, 2026 22:26 UTC