01/05/2026
More changes in the US vaccine schedule:
After a scientific review of the underlying science, comparing the U.S. child and adolescent immunization schedule with those of peer, developed nations, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Acting Director Jim O’Neill has now further updated the U.S. childhood immunization schedule. The changes stem from reviewing practices in other nations, including consulting experts in Denmark, Germany, and Japan.
The CDC will, moving forward, stop broadly recommending vaccines against influenza, rotavirus, respiratory syncytial virus, hepatitis A, and meningococcal disease. The CDC in 2025 already narrowed recommendations for hepatitis B and COVID-19 vaccination, based on guidance from ACIP advisers selected by HHS Secretary Kennedy.
The CDC will continue to recommend that all children are immunized against 10 diseases for which there is international consensus, as well as varicella (chickenpox). For other diseases, the CDC will recommend immunization for high-risk groups and populations, or through shared clinical decision making when it is not possible for public health authorities to clearly define who will benefit from an immunization. The updated schedule is in contrast to the CDC child and adolescent schedule at the end of 2024, which recommended 17 immunizations for all children.
The Danish childhood vaccination schedule that has influenced this new US schedule is far simpler, slower, and gentler than the U.S. CDC schedule. Denmark begins immunization at three months of age, giving only about a dozen total injections by adolescence, focused on serious diseases such as diphtheria, tetanus, polio, Hib, measles, and meningitis.
The U.S. begins vaccination the day a child is born, in some cases with a hepatitis B shot, and continues frequently through infancy, totaling around sixty doses by the end of adolescence. The Danish program avoids vaccines for mild illnesses like chickenpox, rotavirus, and hepatitis A, and it does not recommend annual flu or early COVID inoculations for healthy children. It therefore introduces far fewer antigens, adjuvants, and chemical additives, giving the immune system more time to mature between doses.
The U.S. system, by contrast, compresses numerous injections into the first year of life, creating heavy antigen and aluminum exposure during a critical developmental window. Denmark’s approach reflects a minimalist “target the serious diseases” philosophy built on transparency and trust, while the U.S. program embodies a maximalist “vaccinate for everything” model driven by a zero‑risk culture, liability avoidance, institutional inertia, and a cult-like belief that all vaccine products are “safe and effective” and therefore above questioning. Both countries maintain high vaccine coverage, but Denmark achieves comparable disease control with a fraction of the biochemical and immunological load imposed on young children in the United States.
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