WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reduced the number of recommended vaccinations for children from 17 to 11.
The new US childhood immunization schedule that CDC announced in three distinct categories require insurance companies to cover them without cost-sharing.
Immunizations recommended for all children will include vaccines for measles, mumps, rubella, polio, pertussis, tetanus, diphtheria, Haemophilus influenzae type B (Hib), pneumococcal disease, human papillomavirus (HPV), and varicella (chickenpox).
For other diseases, the CDC will recommend immunization for high-risk groups and populations, or through shared clinical decision making when it is not possible for public health authorities to clearly define who will benefit from an immunization.
The second category includes vaccines for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), hepatitis A, hepatitis B, dengue, and meningococcal ACWY and meningococcal B.
The updated schedule is in contrast to the CDC child and adolescent schedule at the end of 2024, which recommended 17 immunizations for all children.
CDC said that recent scientific studies have shown that one dose of the HPV vaccine is as effective as two doses. The CDC is following the lead of several peer nation by recommending one instead of two doses of this vaccine.
CDC Acting Director Jim O'Neill updated the U.S. childhood immunization schedule after a scientific review of the underlying science, and comparing the U.S. child and adolescent immunization schedule with those of peer, developed nations.
The updated CDC childhood immunization schedule ensures that all the diseases covered by the previous immunization schedule will still be available to anyone who wants them through Affordable Care Act insurance plans and federal insurance programs, including Medicaid, the Children's Health Insurance Program, and the Vaccines for Children program.
CD said that families will not have to purchase them out of pocket. Among peer nations, the U.S. will continue to offer the most childhood vaccines for free to those who want them.
A scientific review has found that in 2024, the U.S. recommended more childhood vaccine doses than any other peer nation, and more than twice as many as some European nations.
Trust in U.S. public health declined from 72 percent to 40 percent between 2020 and 2024, coinciding with public health failure during the pandemic, including Covid-19 vaccine mandates, according to CDC. Though the Covid-19 vaccine was recommended for all children on the CDC schedule, the uptake rate was less than 10 percent by 2023. The uptake rate of other childhood vaccines declined during the same time period.
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