The US has reduced the list of mandatory vaccinations for children.

On January 5, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced updated childhood vaccination recommendations with significant changes. What parents need to know is written by CBS News.

New rules provide fewer vaccinations, which is sure to draw criticism from many doctors and public health experts.

Under the updated guidelines, the CDC recommends vaccinating all children against 11 diseases, up from 17 previously.

All vaccinations are divided into three categories. The first is mandatory for all children, the second is recommended for children in high-risk groups, and the third is recommended if medically indicated, meaning at the doctor's discretion for a specific child.

On the subject: US No Longer Recommends COVID-19 Vaccinations for Children and Pregnant Women

The first group includes vaccines against diphtheria, tetanus, acellular pertussis, Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib), pneumococcal disease, polio, measles, mumps, rubella, human papillomavirus (HPV), and chickenpox, which are mandatory for everyone. Some vaccines, such as the MMR vaccine against measles, mumps, and rubella, protect against multiple diseases.

Vaccinations against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), hepatitis A, hepatitis B, dengue fever, meningococcal ACWY, and meningococcal B, which were previously mandatory, are now recommended only for children in high-risk groups. This is the second group. High risk is defined differently for each vaccination. For example, the hepatitis B vaccine is recommended for newborns whose mother tested positive for hepatitis B during pregnancy.

For children not in high-risk groups, decisions about individual vaccinations should be made through a joint discussion between the doctor and parents—this is the third group. These vaccinations include vaccines against COVID-19, influenza, meningococcal infection, hepatitis A, and hepatitis B.

"It's very difficult to understand the risks and benefits on your own," noted Dr. John LaPook. "So it's important to have a doctor with whom you can discuss these issues openly and understandingly."

He stressed: "The American Academy of Pediatrics called today's recommendations dangerous and said it will continue to adhere to its own."

The changes follow a controversial December decision regarding the timing of the first dose of the hepatitis B vaccine. For over 30 years, the CDC recommended administering the first dose within 24 hours of birth. The CDC's Vaccine Advisory Committee, formed by Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr., voted to delay the vaccine until two months of age for infants born to mothers who tested negative for the virus.

Kennedy Jr., a longtime vaccine critic, said the changes announced January 5 "protect children, respect families and restore trust in public health."

"After a thorough review of the evidence, we are aligning the U.S. childhood vaccination schedule with international consensus and strengthening transparency and informed consent," he added.

President Trump called the updates "a much more reasonable schedule, recommending vaccinations for all children against only the 11 most serious and dangerous diseases." However, he said, parents will still be able to choose other vaccines for their children, and insurance will cover them.

The American Academy of Pediatrics said the long-standing U.S. guidelines are based on "robust evidence" and are generally similar to those in developed countries, with differences due to disease threats, demographics, and health care systems.

Dr. Ronald G. Nahass, president of the Infectious Diseases Society of America, called the changes announced on January 5 a "reckless move."

During the largest measles outbreak in the United States in more than 30 years, over 2000 people were infected. Most of those infected were unvaccinated, and two children died.

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Dr. Michael Osterholm of the University of Minnesota warned that changes to the CDC's vaccination recommendations will put children at risk.

"Declining recommendations for influenza, hepatitis, and rotavirus vaccines, and changing the approach to HPV without an open process for assessing the risks and benefits, will lead to increased hospitalizations and preventable deaths among American children," Osterholm concluded.

Read also on ForumDaily:

Measles outbreaks in South Carolina, Arizona, and Utah: Hundreds of people quarantined

420 bills have been introduced in state assemblies to defund vaccinations and introduce other unscientific ideas.

You can order the flu vaccine online and have it delivered to your door.

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