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An comprehensive overhaul of American pediatric vaccination protocols has led to a decrease in the number of routinely advised immunizations from 17 to 11.

The newly issued list from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention retains core vaccines for diseases like polio and measles. However, several others, including hepatitis A and B and coronavirus vaccines, are now categorized based on individual risk factors and dependent on "shared medical deliberation" involving doctors and parents.

"The new recommendation is dangerous and unnecessary," stated the AAP, describing the change.

This sweeping policy shift represents the most recent significant move implemented under the present administration by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Official Rationale and International Comparison

Kennedy asserted the overhaul came "following an exhaustive review" and "safeguards children, honors families, and restores confidence in public health."

"We are aligning the American childhood vaccine calendar with global standards while enhancing openness and informed consent," he added.

Per the statement, the new universal schedule for every children will include vaccines for:

• MMR (Measles, Mumps, Rubella)
• Polio
• Pertussis (whooping cough), tetanus, and diphtheria (DTaP/Tdap)
• Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib)
• Pneumococcal disease
• HPV
• Chickenpox

Three Categories of Recommendations

The new framework creates three separate tiers of immunization guidance:

1. Core Vaccines: The eleven shots mentioned above are advised for all children.
2. Risk-Based Recommendations: This group contains shots for respiratory syncytial virus, Hep A, Hep B, dengue, and meningococcal types (ACWY and B). These are recommended based on a patient's specific risk factors.
3. Optional Group: Vaccinations for the coronavirus, influenza, and rotavirus are now subject to case-by-case discussion and decision by parents and their doctors.

Currently, medical coverage will still cover immunizations that are still recommended until the end of 2025.

International Context and Prior Controversy

The CDC performed a review of current pediatric schedules with those of 20 other developed nations. It found the US was "a global outlier" in both the number of illnesses targeted and the number of shots administered, the HHS said.

This recent change follows weeks after a separate CDC panel modified the schedule for the first liver infection vaccine. Previously, a first dose was recommended for infants within a day of delivery. Updated guidelines last December moved that to two months post birth if the parent tested negative for hepatitis B.

That earlier change was roundly condemned by pediatric doctors, with the American Academy of Pediatrics calling it "a dangerous move that will hurt kids."