Background

Last month, federal health officials announced the new vaccine schedule, which reduced the number of vaccinations recommended for children from 17 to 11.

The new vaccination schedule recommends that all children be vaccinated against the following diseases:

• Diphtheria
• Tetanus
• Pertussis
• Haemophilus influenzae type b
• Pneumococcal disease
• Polio
• Measles
• Mumps
• Rubella
• HPV
• Varicella

The new schedule only recommends a single dose of the HPV vaccine rather than two.

Meningitis, hepatitis A and B, dengue, and respiratory syncytial virus vaccines will only be recommended for "high-risk groups." Currently, the dengue vaccine is only recommended for children who have had one previous dengue infection who live in a high-risk area like Puerto Rico and American Samoa.

Parents can now choose whether their children get vaccinated against rotavirus, COVID-19, flu, meningitis, and hepatitis A and B under "shared clinical decision-making," health officials said.

Health officials argued the changes were meant to restore trust in public health and align the United States with peer nations like Denmark.

Hospitals, providers say they plan to ignore CDC's vaccine schedule

Many health systems and healthcare providers have said they intend to follow AAP's vaccination schedule and ignore CDC's.

Pediatric hospitals, including Children's National in Washington, D.C., Texas Children's, Seattle Children's, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, and Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, have all said they will be following AAP's recommendations.

In addition, at least 20 states have announced they will not follow CDC's new vaccine schedule.

When asked about major health systems rejecting the new vaccine schedule, HHS press secretary Emily Hilliard said the new schedule "continues to protect children against serious diseases while aligning U.S. guidance with international norms" and that HHS will "work with states and clinicians to ensure families have clear, accurate information to make their own decisions."

"I don't think that the vast majority of health care providers will change," said José Romero, a pediatrician and vaccine expert who was previously the chair of CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. "I think confusion is going to be the main thing here."

Crystal Rommen, director of the advocacy group Louisiana Families for Vaccines, said she's been practicing how to speak to parents about the change in vaccine schedule. "Comparing the U.S. to Denmark is like comparing apples to oranges," she said she plans to tell parents.

However, Brigid Groves, VP of professional affairs at the American Pharmacists Association, said that changes made by many states to ease access to COVID-19 vaccines after FDA last year narrowed the approval of the shots means pharmacists in most states aren't limited to administering vaccines recommended by CDC.

"By and large, we are really anticipating that for those families who want vaccines, it's going to be business as usual," Groves said.

In the meantime, providers said they'll continue emphasizing the importance of vaccines.

"The stronger a stance that we, the pediatricians, or the practice or the city or the state takes on getting vaccines, the better we are going to do keeping [disease] out of the state or our practice or our kids," said Sean Palfrey, a retired pediatrician at Boston Medical Center.