CDC lowers number of vaccine recommendations for children

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Monday lowered the number of vaccines it recommends for children.

The CDC now recommends all children get vaccines for 11 diseases, compared with the 18 previously on the schedule, NBC News reported.

“The loss of trust during the pandemic not only affected the COVID-19 vaccine uptake. It also contributed to less adherence to the full CDC childhood immunization schedule, with lower rates of consensus vaccines such as measles, rubella, pertussis, and polio,” reads the scientific assessment that the CDC based its decision on.

The assessment also noted that “there is a need for more and better science” on vaccines, but the new schedule does not mention that there are any specific vaccines children should not receive.

Not much will change for parents who want their children to continue receiving all the vaccines previously recommended, as insurance will continue to cover the shots.

The CDC said it will continue to recommend that all children get vaccines for measles, mumps, rubella, polio, pertussis, tetanus, diphtheria, Haemophilus influenzae type B (Hib), pneumococcal disease, HPV, and chickenpox.

Meanwhile, vaccines recommended for high-risk groups are RSV, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, dengue, and two types of bacterial meningitis.

Also, the vaccines recommended based on shared clinical decision-making are rotavirus, Covid, the flu, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and bacterial meningitis.