HHS Makes Sweeping Changes to Childhood Vaccine Schedule | 5 Jan 2026 | Federal health officials today outlined sweeping changes to the U.S. childhood immunization schedule. The changes create a new framework that keeps all currently recommended vaccines available and fully covered while moving several vaccines into a category designed to emphasize shared decision-making between families and clinicians. The new recommendations reduce the number of vaccines recommended as routine for all children to 11 from 17, a move The New York Times called a “seismic shift” in federal vaccine policy. HHS said the change follows a directive from President Donald Trump, who issued a presidential memorandum on Dec. 5, 2025, instructing the agency and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to review whether other developed nations protect children more effectively.