Major Changes To Childhood Vaccine Schedule Announced By CDC: What To Know In MD

Updated at 6:21 p.m.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention took the unprecedented step Monday of dropping the number of vaccines it recommends for every child, adopting a policy that gives Maryland parents choice, but very little guidance.

Officials said the overhaul to the federal vaccine schedule won't result in any families losing access or insurance coverage for vaccines, but medical experts slammed the move, saying it could lead to reduced uptake of important vaccinations and increase disease.

Maryland law currently provides that incoming kindergarteners be vaccinated against tetanus, whooping cough, polio, measles, mumps, rubella, chicken pox and hepatitis B. By seventh grade, students are also required to be vaccinated against meningococcal disease.

In Maryland, parents can opt out of exemptions only for religious or medical reasons. During the 2024-25 school year, only 2.2 percent of Maryland kindergarteners had an exemption.

“Vaccines remain one of the most powerful and effective tools we have to protect children, adults, and entire communities from serious and preventable diseases. Our childhood vaccine schedule will continue to follow the guidance of the American Academy of Pediatrics, last updated Nov. 21, 2025, which is based on decades of science and evidence-based recommendations,” Health Secretary Meena Seshamani said in a statement. "Maryland remains firmly committed to immunization as a core public health priority, and will continue to take the necessary steps to ensure broad vaccine access in the state."

As flu cases and hospitalizations continue to rise sharply in the state, the Maryland Department of Health on Monday urged residents over 6 months old to protect themselves with a flu shot.

Overall respiratory illness activity in Maryland is high, with elevated levels of flu activity and hospitalizations, according to the Maryland Combined Respiratory Illness Dashboard for the week ending Dec. 26, 2025.

Since September 2025, seven people have been confirmed to have died of flu in Maryland, and more than 1,940 people with lab-confirmed flu have been hospitalized. With respiratory virus-associated hospitalization now exceeding 10 per every 100,000 state residents, the department recommends health care facilities institute masking for patients and staff due to the high transmission levels.

In September, the Department released clinical guidance for RSV, COVID-19, and flu immunization that aligns with evidence-based clinical guidance from leading medical organizations.

The revised CDC vaccine schedule is similar to Denmark’s and recommends children get vaccines for 11 diseases, compared with the 18 the CDC previously recommended. The changes are effective immediately.

The change, which officials acknowledged was made without input from an advisory committee that typically consults on the vaccine schedule, came after President Donald Trump in December asked the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to review how peer nations approach vaccine recommendations and consider revising its guidance to align with theirs.

HHS said its comparison to 20 peer nations found that the U.S. was an "outlier" in both the number of vaccinations and the number of doses it recommended to all children. Officials with the agency framed the change as a way to increase public trust by recommending only the most important vaccinations for children to receive.

“This decision protects children, respects families, and rebuilds trust in public health,” Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said in a statement Monday.

Medical experts disagreed, saying the change without public discussion or a transparent review of the data would put children at risk.

“Abandoning recommendations for vaccines that prevent influenza, hepatitis and rotavirus, and changing the recommendation for HPV without a public process to weigh the risks and benefits, will lead to more hospitalizations and preventable deaths among American children,” said Michael Osterholm of the Vaccine Integrity Project, based at the University of Minnesota.

The Associated Press contributed reporting.