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The Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) warned that new changes in federal recommendations for the childhood vaccination schedule are unscientific and put children’s health at risk.
“The US vaccination schedule is the result of decades of a rigorous, public-facing, science-based process,” said a Jan. 5 statement from BIO. “Today, that America first gold standard was upended with a wholesale change to the schedule without any clear medical or scientific reason.”
The statement came in reaction to a Health and Human Services Department (HHS) announcement that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) would only recommend 11 vaccines for all American children as opposed to the 17 vaccines it previously recommended.
CDC’s decision memo said it will still recommend all children be vaccinated against measles, mumps, rubella, diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, Haemophilus influenzae type B (Hib ), pneumococcal disease, human papillomavirus (HPV), and varicella (chickenpox).
But under the changes, immunization will only be recommended for high-risk groups or after consultation with a health care provider for six diseases: hepatitis A, hepatitis B, meningococcal disease, rotavirus, influenza, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)—the leading cause of hospitalization in American infants.
Undermining confidence
While the HHS said all 17 vaccines that were recommended in 2025 would continue to be covered by insurance, critics, including BIO, expressed the concern that CDC’s abrupt change in recommendations would only serve to undermine confidence in vaccines and reduce the rate of childhood vaccination.
“Weakening recommendations for vaccines in the name of ideology over epidemiology undermines America’s leadership in public health and trust in our health authorities. It stokes fear and confusion among parents and health care providers,” said BIO’s statement. “Instead of making America healthy again, these actions increase the risk of serious illness for all Americans, especially children. Enough is enough. We must return to decisions guided by medical expertise and scientific evidence.”
