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An comprehensive overhaul of American pediatric vaccination guidelines has resulted in a reduction in the number of universally advised vaccines from 17 to 11.

The newly issued schedule from the CDC retains core shots for diseases like poliomyelitis and rubeola. However, several others, such as hepatitis A and B and coronavirus immunizations, are now classified based on personal risk and dependent on "shared clinical decision-making" involving physicians and parents.

"This revised guideline is dangerous and needless," criticized the American Academy of Pediatrics, labeling the policy.

This sweeping guideline change constitutes the latest major move undertaken under the present government by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Official Rationale and Global Comparison

Kennedy asserted the overhaul followed "after an exhaustive analysis" and "protects kids, respects families, and rebuilds trust in the health system."

"This bringing the American pediatric immunization calendar with international standards while strengthening openness and parental choice," he continued.

According to the statement, the new universal schedule for all children will cover immunizations for:

• Measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR)
• Polio
• Pertussis (whooping cough), tetanus, and diphtheria (DTaP/Tdap)
• Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib)
• Pneumococcal infection
• Human papillomavirus (HPV)
• Chickenpox

3 Categories of Recommendations

The new framework creates three separate tiers of immunization guidance:

1. Core Recommendations: The 11 shots listed above are recommended for every children.
2. Risk-Based Vaccines: This group contains vaccines for RSV, Hep A, Hep B, dengue fever, and meningococcal strains (ACWY and B). They are suggested based on a patient's individual health circumstances.
3. Optional Vaccines: Immunizations for the coronavirus, the flu, and a stomach virus are now subject to case-by-case consultation and decision between families and their physicians.

Currently, medical coverage will still pay for vaccines that are still on the schedule until the end of 2025.

Global Perspective and Recent Controversy

The health agency conducted a comparison of current pediatric schedules with those of 20 other industrialized countries. It determined the United States was "a global outlier" in both the number of diseases targeted and the number of shots required, the HHS said.

This recent change follows a short time following a different advisory panel adjusted the schedule for the first hepatitis B vaccine. Previously, a first shot was advised for newborns within 24 hours of delivery. Revised guidelines last December shifted that to two months post birth if the mother tested non-reactive for the virus.

That earlier change was widely condemned by paediatricians, with the American Academy of Pediatrics calling it "a risky move that will harm children."