US Vaccine Schedule Takes drastic U-Turn, Leaving Americans Behind Peer Countries
The Trump administration's shocking announcement that it no longer fully recommends a third of childhood vaccines has sent shockwaves through the healthcare community. This move marks a significant shift away from the US's leadership in vaccination policies, leaving it lagging behind other high-income nations in preventing disease.
Experts warn that this decision is based on flimsy scientific evidence and ignores public input, putting vaccine access at risk and increasing the likelihood of disease outbreaks. "It's astounding," says Daniel Jernigan, former director of the National Center for Emerging Zoonotic Infectious Diseases. "They want fewer vaccines. They're inflating the risks while burying the benefits and sowing confusion among parents and providers."
The new vaccine schedule has several concerning implications. Some shots are now only recommended for high-risk groups, such as hepatitis A, RSV, and meningitis. Others are only offered under shared clinical decision-making, a previously rare designation that usually requires a doctor's recommendation.
In contrast, other high-income countries like the UK, Canada, Australia, Japan, and most European nations have universal childhood recommendations for influenza, rotavirus, and hepatitis B. They also recommend vaccines against meningococcal disease to children and the RSV shot for all newborns or pregnant people with high risk of getting very sick.
The US is now closer to Denmark's minimalist childhood vaccine schedule, which has led experts to question whether this is a justified move. "We need to follow what our peer countries are doing – and have universal healthcare," says Jernigan.
Experts warn that the new vaccine schedule will worsen health disparities in America, where nearly a third of the population does not have access to primary care. The lack of healthcare access or paid sick leave means diseases spread more quickly among Americans.
"This is like traveling from your own country to a new country," says Jernigan. "In other nations with fuller healthcare systems, it can be easier to access vaccines recommended only for high-risk populations."
Critics argue that the decision was made without scientific evidence and public input, ignoring the established process for making transparent decisions on vaccines.
"This is very concerning and very ominous," says Scott. "These changes weren't voted on, weren't debated in public, and weren't subjected to the evidence-to-recommendation framework that ACIP uses."
The announcement itself lacked transparency, with a small group of journalists selected by HHS to be briefed about the changes. Experts worry that this move will have outsized harm and become the new normal for government decision-making.
"We cannot let this be the new normal," says Jernigan. "We want patients to continue seeking out vaccines, and providers to continue recommending them."
The Trump administration's shocking announcement that it no longer fully recommends a third of childhood vaccines has sent shockwaves through the healthcare community. This move marks a significant shift away from the US's leadership in vaccination policies, leaving it lagging behind other high-income nations in preventing disease.
Experts warn that this decision is based on flimsy scientific evidence and ignores public input, putting vaccine access at risk and increasing the likelihood of disease outbreaks. "It's astounding," says Daniel Jernigan, former director of the National Center for Emerging Zoonotic Infectious Diseases. "They want fewer vaccines. They're inflating the risks while burying the benefits and sowing confusion among parents and providers."
The new vaccine schedule has several concerning implications. Some shots are now only recommended for high-risk groups, such as hepatitis A, RSV, and meningitis. Others are only offered under shared clinical decision-making, a previously rare designation that usually requires a doctor's recommendation.
In contrast, other high-income countries like the UK, Canada, Australia, Japan, and most European nations have universal childhood recommendations for influenza, rotavirus, and hepatitis B. They also recommend vaccines against meningococcal disease to children and the RSV shot for all newborns or pregnant people with high risk of getting very sick.
The US is now closer to Denmark's minimalist childhood vaccine schedule, which has led experts to question whether this is a justified move. "We need to follow what our peer countries are doing – and have universal healthcare," says Jernigan.
Experts warn that the new vaccine schedule will worsen health disparities in America, where nearly a third of the population does not have access to primary care. The lack of healthcare access or paid sick leave means diseases spread more quickly among Americans.
"This is like traveling from your own country to a new country," says Jernigan. "In other nations with fuller healthcare systems, it can be easier to access vaccines recommended only for high-risk populations."
Critics argue that the decision was made without scientific evidence and public input, ignoring the established process for making transparent decisions on vaccines.
"This is very concerning and very ominous," says Scott. "These changes weren't voted on, weren't debated in public, and weren't subjected to the evidence-to-recommendation framework that ACIP uses."
The announcement itself lacked transparency, with a small group of journalists selected by HHS to be briefed about the changes. Experts worry that this move will have outsized harm and become the new normal for government decision-making.
"We cannot let this be the new normal," says Jernigan. "We want patients to continue seeking out vaccines, and providers to continue recommending them."
! Can you believe they're taking away full vaccination schedule for kids? I mean, what's next? Not vaccinating pregnant women too? 
In my day, we didn't even think about having a vaccine schedule that wasn't universal. We just got vaccinated because it was good for us and the community. This is like going back to the dark ages 
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It's just not fair. And what's with all these high-risk groups being singled out like that? Can't we just protect everyone equally? 
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. This is a step backwards, and I'm not sure how we're gonna recover from this 
. The fact that some shots are only recommended for high-risk groups or require doctor's orders makes me super worried about public health 
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. Now it feels like we're being told that some shots aren't necessary 
. This is gonna have serious consequences, especially with the existing healthcare disparities in America 
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. Can't they see that this decision is gonna hurt a lot of people? 
. I mean, come on! We're supposed to be a leader in medicine, and yet we're lagging behind other countries? 
It feels like they're ignoring all the research and data that says vaccines save lives 
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. I'm all for evidence-based decision making and transparency, you know? Can't we just follow what the other developed countries are doing over here? 
That doesn't make sense to me. I mean, what about all the diseases that are still out there? We need to be more proactive not less. 
The fact that other countries are doing so much better with their vaccine schedules is just mind-boggling 
. This isn't exactly what we want from our government, is it? 
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. If people can't get vaccinated easily, diseases are gonna spread faster and it's gonna be a real mess 
It's not okay to just make these kinds of changes without listening to people and doing thorough research first 
. That doesn't sound like transparency to me 
and ignoring public opinion 
. Denmark's minimalist schedule is already looking like a better idea 
. And what about the people who can't even get primary care in the US? This is gonna make health disparities WORSE