By Sabrina Siddiqui

The U.S. is dropping universal recommendations for certain childhood vaccines, the Trump administration said Monday, altering the immunization schedule to be more closely aligned with Denmark's and recommend fewer shots for children.

Under the change, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is doing away with recommendations that all children receive vaccines for rotavirus, Covid-19, influenza, meningococcal disease, hepatitis A and hepatitis B. The CDC is instead advising that decisions about those shots be made by parents and their children's healthcare providers.

The CDC is also changing vaccine guidelines for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), hepatitis A, hepatitis B, dengue, meningococcal ACWY and meningococcal B. It is now recommending those shots only for high-risk populations instead of all children.

"After an exhaustive review of the evidence, we are aligning the U.S. childhood vaccine schedule with international consensus while strengthening transparency and informed consent," Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said. "This decision protects children, respects families, and rebuilds trust in public health."

Kennedy has been considering whether to match Denmark's childhood vaccine schedule, which recommends routine immunization for only 10 of the 17 diseases on the U.S. schedule. Unlike Denmark, the U.S. will continue recommending that children be vaccinated against chickenpox.

Public-health experts have pushed back on the notion that the U.S. should mirror Denmark, arguing that vaccination policies reflect each country's distinct needs and priorities.

Physicians have said Denmark's vaccine recommendations and coverage is informed by a far smaller population and nationalized healthcare system -- an approach that doesn't necessarily translate to the U.S. They also point to epidemiological differences, such as the fact that different strains of meningococcal meningitis are more prevalent in Europe than in the U.S.

In a call with reporters, senior HHS officials said all CDC-recommended vaccines will remain available to the public and fully covered by federal insurance programs without cost sharing.

"No vaccine is being banned or removed," one of the officials said. "No family will lose access to vaccines."

Last month, the CDC dropped a recommendation that all newborns receive a dose of the hepatitis B vaccine. The move that was widely criticized by public-health experts.

Write to Sabrina Siddiqui at sabrina.siddiqui@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

January 05, 2026 14:00 ET (19:00 GMT)

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