Trump HHS cuts recommended vaccines for children from 17 to 10

The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) announced on Monday an overhaul of the federal childhood immunization schedule, reducing the number of vaccine recommendations for children from 17 to 10.

“Last month, President Trump asked me to review the immunization schedules of other developed nations and consider their best practices,” Deputy HHS Secretary Jim O’Neill announced. “I had productive conversations with my peers in the health ministries of Japan, Denmark, and Germany. Scientists at FDA, CDC, NIH, CMS, and ASPE also contributed to a scientific assessment and recommendation, in addition to enlightening conversations about evidence gaps and randomized trials. I’m grateful to all of them for their excellent work.”

“Parents who think that more than 80 doses per child is too many may now consider giving their children the ten vaccines in the international consensus of 20 nations, plus the varicella vaccine,” he added. “For other diseases, [the CDC] recommends immunization for high-risk groups or through shared clinical decision-making when population-wide benefits cannot be clearly defined.” ---More...