In early January of 2026, the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) issued an overhaul of its childhood immunization schedule. The updated schedule was received with mixed reviews and has caused quite a stir in the medical community, which relies on the CDC’s immunization schedule for guidance.
Confusing? Yes. Navigable? Also yes. Read on.
On an annual basis, the CDC’s childhood immunization schedule is reviewed and edited based on the latest scientific evidence on vaccines, including new research, safety data, and changes in how certain infections are affecting different groups based on age, location, and other factors.
This year, the CDC created a large shift in recommendations and cited several reasons and hopes for the new schedule.
- The U.S. has historically recommended more vaccines and doses than many peer nations without achieving higher vaccine coverage rates.
- There is a desire to bring the U.S. immunization recommendations more in line with other developed nations.
- Simplifying the schedule and emphasizing individualized clinical decision making could improve trust and engagement between families and clinicians.
- There is an intent to prioritize “gold standard” scientific evidence to continually evaluate effectiveness and safety. (Gold standard evidence in medicine is that which is tried and true and has shown historical significance.)
The big change in the schedule is NOT to remove any vaccines available but to reclassify them. Rather than all being universally recommended for all children, vaccines are now stratified into three groups based on risk of the individual or group and risk of the disease for causing serious illness in children:
Recommended for all children
Vaccines that confer protection against 11 serious diseases are still universally recommended. These include measles, mumps rubella (MMR); polio, diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (DTaP); haemophilus influenzae type B (HIB); pneumococcal disease; human human papillomavirus (HPV); and varicella/chickenpox
Recommended for certain high risk groups
Vaccines that protect against diseases that affect certain high risk individuals and groups are recommended for those at risk. These include respiratory syncytial virus (RSV); hepatitis A and B; and meningococcal vaccines.
Recommended based on shared clinical decision-making
Vaccines recommended only after a personalized discussion between the child’s parent and the healthcare provider include influenza, covid-19, rotavirus.
Medical professionals are responding differently to these recommendations. The American Academy of Pediatrics, for example, has offered its own vaccine schedule which continues to make vaccines for 18 diseases routine and universally recommended for all children.
There is no question that many vaccines have been shown throughout the years to prevent serious illness, disability, hospitalization, and death. Polio is a classic example. Prior to routine use of antibiotics and vaccines, childhood death and disability was a heartbreaking part of life for many, many families. These treatments revolutionized survival rates for many common childhood illnesses.
However, modern immunization schedules and the preponderance of confusing and often conflicting information have left many parents with questions about long-term data and individual immune responses. While vaccines are generally safe and serious reactions are rare, they are not completely without risk, and many parents must be able to rely on their clinicians for information and helpful advice about their particular situation.
The updated schedule provides a framework for clinical nuance, moving toward a more personalized approach to public health. Whether this will be a good thing for the nation as a whole is yet to be determined. But for certain, the new schedule encourages more individuality: healthy communication between clinicians and parents, and more autonomy and responsibility for families and clinicians alike.
Despite a lot of concern about availability, all vaccines remain accessible and covered by insurance and programs that help with vaccine cost. That has not changed.
What does all this mean for you and your child?
- It means that the CDC has aligned its recommendations with international practices and embraced shared decision making between clinicians and families.
- It means that all recommended vaccines will continue to be available and covered by insurance.
- It means that you are encouraged to talk to your clinician about vaccines.
Another benefit of Direct Primary Care (DPC) at Table Health is that our doctors are already used to approaching healthcare with nuance. Longer appointments, relationship based care that honors patients’ values, and shared decision making are already foundational principles.
We really want to have these conversations with you. Whether you are all in with vaccines or skeptical about them, we believe having conversations about it are important. Make your appointment today to discuss options for you, your child, and your family.
*Please note that the list of generally available vaccines is very long (see reference ‘vaccine by disease’). Only those addressed by the CDC in their childhood immunization schedule are those addressed by this article. Others may be relevant for travel or other high risk situations but are not generally addressed routinely for children.
References
https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2026/2026-cdc-acts-on-presidential-memorandum-to-update-childhood-immunization-schedule.html
https://www.hhs.gov/press-room/fact-sheet-cdc-childhood-immunization-recommendations.html
https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2026/2026-cdc-acts-on-presidential-memorandum-to-update-childhood-immunization-schedule.html
https://www.aap.org/en/patient-care/immunizations/clinician-family-immunization-communications-faqs/
https://www.hhs.gov/press-room/fact-sheet-cdc-childhood-immunization-recommendations.html
https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/by-disease/index.html