Jan. 6, 2026, 5:04 a.m. CT
CDC Drastically Scales Back Childhood Vaccine Recommendations
A major shift in U.S. vaccine policy will leave parents and doctors navigating a new landscape of recommended immunizations.
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is reducing the number of routinely recommended childhood vaccines from 16 to 10.
- Vaccines for the flu, COVID-19, meningococcal disease, RSV, hepatitis A and B, and rotavirus will now be recommended only for high-risk groups or left to parental discretion.
- Wisconsin health officials are expressing concern over the changes, fearing increased confusion and potential outbreaks.
- The move follows a directive from President Trump to align U.S. vaccine schedules with those of other countries.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is dramatically reducing the number of vaccines it recommends to all American children, removing six from the list considered routine for decades. What does this mean for parents? The CDC will no longer universally recommend vaccines for the flu, COVID-19, meningococcal disease, RSV, hepatitis A and B, and rotavirus, instead suggesting them only for high-risk groups or leaving the decision to parents and their doctors.
The changes, announced on Jan. 5, don’t immediately impact Wisconsin residents, as school vaccine requirements are set by individual states and the vaccines will still be covered by insurance. However, leading Wisconsin health officials are bracing for confusion as U.S. vaccine policy undergoes a significant transformation under Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. They argue that decreased vaccine uptake could lead to preventable outbreaks – like the ongoing measles cases – and potentially, fatalities.
The CDC will continue to recommend vaccines for chickenpox, whooping cough, polio, and measles, mumps, and rubella for all children.
Jennifer Miller, a spokesperson for the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, stated the agency is reviewing the CDC’s changes “with great concern for the health of children in our state.” The department plans to share any potential impacts on Wisconsin residents in the coming days.
“We have not yet seen new scientific evidence that would justify changes to longstanding recommendations that have and continue to protect the health of children in the United States,” Miller said in an email.
Dr. Margaret Hennessy, a pediatrician and the immunization representative for the Wisconsin chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, expressed concern that the unilateral change by Acting CDC Director Jim O’Neill deviates from the typical process for updating vaccine schedules. For decades, such changes have followed a thorough review by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, a panel of scientific experts.
“My real question is, why is this being done?” Hennessy said. “It doesn’t seem to make any sense.” She urged parents with questions to consult their pediatricians.
The shift follows a December directive from President Trump instructing Kennedy and O’Neill to review the childhood vaccine schedule, citing the U.S. as an outlier in the number of vaccines recommended. Kennedy, a longtime vaccine skeptic, stated in a Jan. 5 news release that the change would align the U.S. schedule with “international consensus.”
The presidential order specifically referenced vaccine schedules in Denmark, Japan, and Germany. Hennessy cautioned that comparing the U.S. to Denmark, a smaller country with universal healthcare, is “comparing apples to oranges.”
Dr. Jon Temte, a professor of family medicine and community health at UW-Madison’s medical school, described himself and colleagues as “totally outraged” by the changes. Temte previously served on the federal vaccine advisory committee from 2004 to 2015.
Nearly 300 children in the U.S. died from the flu during the 2024-2025 flu season, almost 90% of them unvaccinated and half with underlying conditions that increased their risk. Wisconsin has already recorded two child deaths from the flu and COVID-19 this season.
“Those are the real-life consequences,” Temte said.
The change sets the stage for further conflict between state health officials and the federal government regarding vaccines. Despite the federal pullback, Wisconsin leaders continue to recommend a birth dose of the hepatitis B vaccine and the COVID-19 vaccine for all residents 6 months and older.
State leaders have also criticized recent CDC language stating that “Vaccines do not cause autism” is not an evidence-based statement, as studies on infant vaccines haven’t “ruled out the possibility” of a link.
