US revises childhood vaccine schedule. Here’s what it means for your kids.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on Jan. 6 said it was revising its childhood immunization schedule to recommend four fewer vaccines − but what does that mean for parents and their children 18 and younger?

According to the HHS announcement, the four vaccines include those for rotavirus, influenza, meningococcal disease and hepatitis A, which have now been moved to shared decision-making between parents and health care providers − not an outright recommendation.

Here's what we know:

What were the recommendations before?

Previously, the rotavirus vaccine, which protects against contagious gastrointestinal infections that cause diarrhea among infants and young children, was recommended for children beginning at 2 months old for either a two-dose or three-dose series.

For influenza, or flu, vaccines were generally recommended for children starting at 6 months. The United States is in the midst of a flu surge, with a high number of cases.

Meningococcal disease, a serious bacterial infection, can be prevented through three types of vaccines. Recommendations previously covered all preteens and teens, as well as children 2 months through 10 years old, at increased risk.

Hepatitis A recommendations previously included a two-dose series starting at 12 months.

Now, rather than recommending the above vaccines, the HHS advises making a decision in conjunction with your health care provider.

In the announcement on Jan. 6, officials said immunizations recommended for all children would still include vaccines for measles, mumps, rubella, polio, pertussis, tetanus, diphtheria, Haemophilus influenzae type B, or Hib; pneumococcal disease, human papillomavirus, or HPV; and varicella, or chickenpox.

Can I still get these vaccines for my kids?

So far, the answer is yes. Insurance providers will continue covering immunization costs regardless of the category, senior HHS officials told reporters on a call.

Other childhood vaccine changes

Last year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also changed recommendations for the Hep B and COVID-19 shots.

Changes to hepatitis B vaccines first came last year, when the CDC officially ended a long-standing recommendation that all newborns receive the vaccine at birth, leaving it instead to parents, in consultation with a health care provider, to decide.

For COVID-19, advice has also varied recently. Last year, the CDC recommended people make individual, informed decisions about COVID-19 vaccination, declining to specifically recommend it. This is a change from previous guidance, since it drops recommendations for even children at high risk. The American Academy of Pediatrics shared its own vaccine recommendations that, for the first time in three decades, differed from U.S. government advice by "strongly recommending" COVID-19 shots for children ages 6 months to 2 years old. For older children, shots are also advised, but it's up to parents' discretion, the AAP said.

In the latest announcement, there also appears to be a change for the human papillomavirus, or HPV, vaccine. Now, only one dose is recommended, whereas previously it was a two- or three-dose series depending on age at initial vaccination.

What does this mean for public health?

This move, which comes a month after President Donald Trump called for reducing the number of vaccines in children's schedules, advances one of HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s long-term goals.

But public health experts say this is at the expense of children's health.

In a statement to USA TODAY, Michele Slafkosky, executive director for the organization Families Fighting Flu, said, "American children’s lives are now at risk."

“Our organization was founded by families who had young children die of the flu, and today, more than 20 years later, we are devastated to see our nation’s public health officials cavalierly dismiss the importance of vaccinations that help protect children from diseases," Slafkosky continued. "That the CDC is announcing this change, during one of the earliest surges in flu cases already exceeding the numbers of illnesses, hospitalizations and deaths at the same time as last year is even more disturbing."

In a statement shared on Jan. 6, Dr. Andrew D. Racine, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said the changes are "dangerous and unnecessary."

Other public health officials worry that shifting recommendations will confuse parents and families who could benefit from immunization.

“Parents want what’s best for their kids, and that’s what public health physicians want also,” said Dr. Philip Huang, director of Dallas Health and Human Services. The CDC’s revised recommendations “put doubt in parents' minds and makes it harder for kids to get these recommended and needed vaccines.”

Huang added that the vaccines have been so effective that they’ve sharply reduced public health threats such as infections from hepatitis A and B.

“We’re a victim of our own success,” said Huang. “People forget or don’t know what things were like before we had these vaccines.”

The decision to remove the vaccines from the schedule also occurred outside the typical process for vaccine recommendations, in which an outside panel of expert advisers considers the merits of each vaccine with an eye toward public health.

Is the vaccine schedule the same as in Denmark?

While the administration says this updated vaccine schedule aligns the country with other developed nations like Denmark, experts have criticized this approach, explaining that the reasoning is faulty given the differences between the two countries.

“The United States is not Denmark, and there is no reason to impose the Danish immunization schedule on America’s families. America is a unique country, and Denmark’s population, public health infrastructure and disease-risk differ greatly from our own," Racine said in his statement.

Contributing: Ken Alltucker, USA TODAY; Ahmed Aboulenein and Michael Erman, Reuters