CDC Cuts Childhood Vaccine Schedule-Check Full List of Vaccines Dropped and Retained For Children

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has announced a sweeping revision of the childhood immunisation schedule, reducing the number of diseases for which routine vaccines are recommended. The updated guidance, issued under the Trump administration, takes effect immediately and marks one of the most significant changes to the US vaccine policy in decades. 

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has unveiled a sweeping revision of the childhood immunisation schedule. The changes, which take effect immediately, cut the number of diseases covered by routine childhood vaccines from 17 to 11. 

Federal officials say the overhaul is designed to rebuild public confidence, promote greater transparency, and prioritise informed consent, while critics caution that the move could increase the risk of outbreaks of preventable diseases.

Vaccines the CDC Continues to Routinely Recommend for Most Children

• Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR)

• Polio

• Chickenpox (Varicella)

• Human Papillomavirus (HPV)

Vaccines Now Recommended Only for High-Risk Children

• Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV)

• Hepatitis A

• Hepatitis B

• Meningococcal ACWY

• Meningococcal B

• Dengue

Vaccines to Be Decided Through Shared Clinical Decision-Making

• Influenza (Flu)

• COVID-19

• Rotavirus

This restructuring marks a major shift in how the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention approaches routine childhood vaccination, placing greater emphasis on risk-based guidance and informed parental choice.

Officials emphasised that no vaccines are being banned or withdrawn, and that all CDC-recommended vaccines will remain available and fully covered by insurance with no out-of-pocket costs.