The United States government made a major change on Monday regarding how children get vaccinated. Health officials announced they are ending the long-standing rule that all children should get shots for the flu and three other common diseases. This move is a big shift in how the country handles public health. It is a main goal of the new Health Secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has wanted to reduce the number of required shots for a long time.
What is changing?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) removed the universal recommendation for four specific vaccines:
– The Flu (Influenza)
– Rotavirus, a virus that causes severe stomach issues
– Meningococcal disease which can cause meningitis
– Hepatitis A, a liver infection
Previously, the government said every child should get these. Now, they say it is up to “shared clinical-decision-making.” This means parents should talk to their doctors to decide if their child needs them or not.
Support from the White House
President Donald Trump supported the change. He said the US should act more like other countries that don’t require as many shots. He called the new plan “Common Sense” and the “Gold Standard of Science.”
Secretary Kennedy, who has often criticized vaccines, helped lead this effort. He believes the US has been giving too many shots to children. While Kennedy has suggested vaccines are linked to things like autism, most scientists and doctors say many studies have proven that is not true.
Doctors express concern
Many health experts are worried about this new direction. They say these vaccines were made routine because they save lives and keep kids out of the hospital. Dr. Sean O’Leary, a leader at the American Academy of Pediatrics, said that other countries have very different healthcare systems than the US, so we shouldn’t just copy them. He argued that these decisions should be based on hard science, not just comparing lists with other nations.
Medical experts are raising alarms about the risks these diseases pose to children without routine vaccination. They point out that the flu remains a serious threat, having caused the deaths of 288 children in the US just last year. Before the rotavirus vaccine was common, tens of thousands of children were hospitalized annually due to severe dehydration.
While meningitis is less common, it is incredibly dangerous; roughly 15 per cent of children who contract the infection die because current medicines are not always able to stop it.
How the decision was made
Two top health officials, Martin Kulldorff and Tracy Beth Hoeg, looked at vaccine rules in 20 other countries to come up with this new plan. They found that many of those countries do not require the flu shot or the Hepatitis A shot for every child.
The CDC also changed the rule for the HPV vaccine. Instead of two shots, they now recommend just one.
What happens next?
Even though the government isn’t ‘recommending’ these shots for everyone anymore, health officials said that insurance companies will still pay for them if parents choose to get them.
The US still recommends 11 other vaccines for all children, including shots for the measles, mumps, and chickenpox. Doctors are now waiting to see if fewer parents choose to vaccinate their children and if that leads to more kids getting sick in the future.
Disclaimer – Always consult a doctor before taking any decision. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.