Many pediatricians are following vaccine guidance from the American Academy of Pediatrics, not the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
By I. Edwards HealthDay Reporter<\/b>
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TUESDAY, Jan. 27, 2026 (HealthDay News) \u2014 Many children\u2019s doctors say they will follow vaccine guidance from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) narrowed its own recommendations this month.<\/p>\n
On Monday, the AAP updated its recommendations for what shots kids should get. While the changes were small, including adding a new RSV vaccine, the timing is important.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe AAP will continue to provide recommendations for immunizations that are rooted in science and are in the best interest of the health of infants, children and adolescents of this country,\u201d AAP President Dr. Andrew Racine<\/a> said.<\/p>\n More docs are now following the AAP recommendations instead of the CDC\u2019s.<\/p>\n \u201cThe science hasn\u2019t changed,\u201d Dr. Claudia Hoyen<\/a>, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at UH Rainbow Babies and Children\u2019s Hospital in Cleveland, told CNN.<\/em> \u201cWe will continue to follow the science.\u201d<\/p>\n The AAP recommends routine vaccines for RSV, hepatitis A and B, rotavirus, flu<\/a> and meningococcal disease.<\/p>\n Twelve major medical groups back the AAP schedule, including the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Family Physicians.<\/p>\n The CDC\u2019s new guidance says only higher-risk children should receive routine vaccines for meningococcal disease and hepatitis A and B. It also says flu, COVID and rotavirus shots should be decided through \u201cshared clinical decision-making,\u201d meaning parents must first talk with a doctor.<\/p>\n U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary (HHS) Robert F. Kennedy Jr<\/a>., a longtime vaccine critic, defended the changes.<\/p>\n \u201cAfter an exhaustive review of the evidence, we are aligning the U.S. childhood vaccine schedule with international consensus while strengthening transparency and informed consent,” he said.<\/p>\n \u201cThis decision protects children, respects families and rebuilds trust in public health,” Kennedy added.<\/p>\n Doctors counter that there is no new research showing these vaccines are unsafe or unnecessary.<\/p>\n \u201cFor now, unfortunately, we have to ignore everything about vaccines that is coming from our federal government,\u201d Dr. Sean O\u2019Leary<\/a>, chair of the AAP\u2019s Committee on Infectious Diseases, told CNN. <\/em>\u201cParents should trust their pediatrician, trust the professional societies like the American Academy of Pediatrics.\u201d<\/p>\n Several pediatricians told CNN they plan to follow the AAP schedule.<\/p>\n Dr. Sarah Elizabeth DeRoo<\/a>, a pediatrician at Children\u2019s National in Washington, D.C., said families are now asking more questions.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have families that come into our clinic that traditionally have been very accepting of vaccines and they want to know, \u2018is this new recommendation, is this evidence-based, or do I need to think differently about these vaccines\u2019 that they\u2019ve accepted previously?\u201d DeRoo said. \u201cWe\u2019ve been giving messaging to our patients that we\u2019re continuing to follow the recommended schedule by the American Academy of Pediatrics, which is an evidence-based schedule.\u201d<\/p>\n Doctors say the mixed messages are causing fear and confusion.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are seeing the vaccine conversation come up more and more frequently because of fear of this and general misinformation spreading online,\u201d Dr. Nina Alfieri<\/a>, Continuity Clinic director with Lurie Children\u2019s Pediatrics at Uptown in Chicago told CNN.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cWe always want families to feel welcome coming to clinic with their questions,\u201d Alfieri added.<\/p>\n An analysis from the health policy organization KFF<\/a> found that as of Jan. 20, vaccine guidelines in 28 states differ from the federal schedule.<\/p>\n All states with Democratic governors said they would no longer follow the CDC guidelines. Only four Republican-led states have done the same.<\/p>\n \u201cFor the first time in our country, we\u2019re going to have really varying laws, policies and attitudes about vaccines based on where people live,\u201d Jen Kates<\/a> of KFF said. \u201cIt\u2019s a major sea change in public health policy.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoyen, who has practiced medicine for 30 years, remembers when meningitis and mumps were common.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a reason why these vaccines were created,” she said. “It\u2019s to help kids thrive and not to have to worry about complications from these childhood illnesses.\u201d<\/p>\n Dr. Adam Ratner<\/a>, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at NYU Langone, said many younger doctors had never even seen diseases like measles, until outbreaks started appearing again.<\/p>\n \u201cThe idea of going backwards is horrifying because you don\u2019t want to lose hard-won progress, but also because we\u2019re not talking about something abstract,\u201d Ratner said. \u201cWe\u2019re talking about actual children and families.\u201d<\/p>\n AAP\u2019s Racine emphasized that routine childhood immunizations are an important step in the path to lifelong health.<\/p>\n \u201cEvery step you take alongside your child on that path is because you want them to grow up healthy and as a trusted partner on that journey, your pediatrician welcomes conversations about all your child\u2019s health care, including immunizations,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n More information<\/strong><\/p>\n Learn more about the American Academy of Pediatrics immunization schedule<\/a>.<\/p>\n