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

NEW HAMPSHIRE — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reduced the number of vaccines it recommends for every child on Monday, adopting a policy that brings the federal government more in line with what already exists in New Hampshire.

Officials said the overhaul of the federal vaccine schedule won't result in any families losing access to or insurance coverage for vaccines, but medical experts slammed the move, saying it could lead to reduced uptake of essential vaccines and increase disease. The vaccine schedule is similar to Denmark’s and recommends that children receive vaccines for 11 diseases, down from 18 that the CDC previously recommended.

New Hampshire, according to the 2025-2026 guidelines, requires children enrolled in public or private school, preschool, or childcare to receive fewer immunizations than under the new or previous guidelines. The state requires nine immunizations: for polio, hepatitis B, diphtheria, tetanus, chickenpox, whooping cough, measles, mumps, and rubella.

The federal 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 at the agency framed the change as a way to increase public trust by recommending only the most important vaccines for children.

“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.

Editor's note: This post was scripted by another Patch staffer, not New Hampshire's editor, for publication on New Hampshire sites.