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AAP Rejects CDC Schedule, Maintains Routine Shots as Doctors and Groups Push Back

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AAP’s Policy Statement Overturns CDC Schedule The American Academy of Pediatrics issued a policy in Pediatrics that withdraws its endorsement of the CDC’s updated immunization schedule and re‑affirms routine vaccination for 18 childhood diseases, matching its 2026 schedule [1][2]. The statement argues the CDC revisions lack scientific justification and would reduce protection for U.S. children [1][2]. Twelve leading medical organizations, including the AMA, IDSA and AAFP, have formally backed the AAP’s recommendations [1][2].

CDC’s Revised Schedule Limits Several Vaccines The CDC’s new schedule narrows routine use of RSV, influenza, hepatitis A/B, rotavirus and meningococcal vaccines to high‑risk groups or to shared clinical decision‑making, citing a model partially based on Denmark [1][2][4]. The agency says the change reflects risk‑based tailoring rather than new safety concerns [4]. Insurers will continue covering the vaccines, but the guidance shifts decision‑making authority to clinicians and families [4].

Pediatric Community Aligns With AAP Guidance Pediatricians nationwide report preferring the AAP schedule, which adds a routine RSV vaccine and retains all 18 diseases on the standard list [3]. State health departments are split: all Democratic‑governed states have pledged not to follow the CDC plan, while only four Republican‑led states have done the same [3]. Clinicians cite decades of evidence showing vaccines prevent severe disease and stress that “the science hasn’t changed” [3].

Legal Challenges Target Both CDC Changes and AAP Anti‑vaccine group Children’s Health Defense filed a racketeering lawsuit accusing the AAP of misleading families and hiding review findings [1][2]. Separately, seven major medical associations sued to block the CDC’s revisions, arguing the overhaul bypassed standard evidence review and was driven by political appointments to the ACIP, including members who have publicly expressed anti‑vaccine views [4].

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Timeline

1991 – The CDC begins recommending a hepatitis B birth‑dose vaccine for all newborns, a policy that later reduces pediatric infections by ≈ 95 % and prevents an estimated 90,000 deaths [3][13][24].

1995 – The United States adopts a unified national childhood immunization schedule, creating a single grid of vaccines from birth through adolescence that is updated as new vaccines are approved [15].

Pre‑1990s (pre‑Hib era) – Pediatricians recall a time when meningitis was common and spinal taps were routine, underscoring how past vaccine introductions (e.g., Hib) dramatically lowered disease burden [4].

Dec 4 2025 – The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) convenes to consider revising the universal hepatitis B birth‑dose recommendation; the agenda lists presentations on disease burden and vaccine safety [22][24].

Dec 5 2025 – ACIP votes 8‑3 to end the universal hepatitis B birth‑dose, limiting it to infants of hepatitis‑positive or untested mothers and allowing parents to decide otherwise; the vote follows Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s replacement of the entire ACIP panel earlier that year [2][20][30][29].

Dec 16 2025 – The CDC formally ends its universal birth‑dose recommendation, stating the dose now applies only to infants of hepatitis B‑positive or untested mothers; Acting CDC Director Jim O’Neill accepts the change [17][27].

Dec 19 2025 – HHS announces a plan to overhaul the U.S. childhood vaccine schedule, aiming to cut the number of recommended shots and align with countries like Denmark; Kennedy posts “We’re on it” on X [16][15].

Dec 2025 – President Donald Trump issues an executive order directing HHS to compare U.S. vaccine recommendations with those of 20 peer developed nations, labeling the U.S. a “global outlier” [1][13][9].

Jan 5 2026 – The CDC releases a revised childhood immunization schedule that trims universal recommendations from 17 to 11 diseases and reorganizes vaccines into universal, high‑risk, and shared‑decision categories [13][26][1].

Jan 6 2026 – HHS announces that the new schedule is advisory but will influence state school‑entry requirements and insurer coverage; insurers must still cover all vaccines recommended as of Dec 31 2025 [9][12].

Jan 6 2026 – President Donald Trump posts on social media that “America will no longer require 72 ‘jabs’,” a graphic that conflates federal recommendations with legal mandates [10].

Jan 6 2026 – The United States drops universal recommendations for four diseases—influenza, rotavirus, meningococcal disease, and hepatitis A—shifting them to “shared clinical‑decision‑making” [11].

Jan 10 2026 – Physicians warn that the shift to risk‑based and shared‑decision categories could fuel vaccine hesitancy and complicate clinic workflows; the American Academy of Pediatrics and more than 200 groups send a letter to Congress demanding an investigation [7].

Jan 10 2026 – In Washington state, pediatric infectious‑disease specialist Dr. Francis Bell calls the CDC’s reduction to 11 universal vaccines “a retrograde step,” while the state health department pledges to follow AAP guidance [8].

Jan 15 2026 – Seven major medical associations file a federal lawsuit in Massachusetts seeking to restore the pre‑change schedule (as of April 15 2025) and to halt the current ACIP meeting, accusing the administration of bypassing evidence‑based review [5].

Jan 20 2026 – KFF analysis shows that 28 states have issued vaccine guidance that diverges from the CDC’s new schedule, with all Democratic‑governed states refusing to follow the federal recommendations [4].

Jan 26 2026 – The American Academy of Pediatrics publishes its 2026 routine immunization schedule, adding a new RSV vaccine and maintaining recommendations for hepatitis A/B, rotavirus, flu, and meningococcal disease, in contrast to the CDC’s narrower plan [4].

Jan 26 2026 – The AAP formally rejects the CDC’s revised schedule, stating it “strays from established medical evidence” and will continue recommending routine shots against 18 diseases; President of the AAP Dr. Andrew Racine affirms the academy’s commitment to science‑based guidance [6].

Jan 27 2026 – The AAP’s policy statement in Pediatrics reiterates its refusal to endorse the CDC schedule and notes that the anti‑vaccine group Children’s Health Defense files a racketeering lawsuit against the AAP, alleging misconduct [6].

2027 (planned) – CMS announces that the four immunization quality measures will be removed from the 2026 Child and Adult Core Sets, shifting to voluntary reporting and signaling a move to explore new vaccine‑related measures for 2027 [14].

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