Doctors Turn to Pediatric Group”s Vaccine Schedule After CDC Changes

TUESDAY, Jan. 27, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Many children’s 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.

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.

“The 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,” AAP President Dr. Andrew Racine said.

More docs are now following the AAP recommendations instead of the CDC’s.

“The science hasn’t changed,” Dr. Claudia Hoyen, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at UH Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital in Cleveland, told CNN. “We will continue to follow the science.”

The AAP recommends routine vaccines for RSV, hepatitis A and B, rotavirus, flu and meningococcal disease.

Twelve major medical groups back the AAP schedule, including the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Family Physicians.

The CDC’s 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 “shared clinical decision-making,” meaning parents must first talk with a doctor.

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary (HHS) Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime vaccine critic, defended the changes.

“After 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.

“This decision protects children, respects families and rebuilds trust in public health,” Kennedy added.

Doctors counter that there is no new research showing these vaccines are unsafe or unnecessary.

“For now, unfortunately, we have to ignore everything about vaccines that is coming from our federal government,” Dr. Sean O’Leary, chair of the AAP’s Committee on Infectious Diseases, told CNN. “Parents should trust their pediatrician, trust the professional societies like the American Academy of Pediatrics.”

Several pediatricians told CNN they plan to follow the AAP schedule.

Dr. Sarah Elizabeth DeRoo, a pediatrician at Children’s National in Washington, D.C., said families are now asking more questions.

“We have families that come into our clinic that traditionally have been very accepting of vaccines and they want to know, ‘is this new recommendation, is this evidence-based, or do I need to think differently about these vaccines’ that they’ve accepted previously?” DeRoo said. “We’ve been giving messaging to our patients that we’re continuing to follow the recommended schedule by the American Academy of Pediatrics, which is an evidence-based schedule.”