US Slashes Childhood Vaccine Schedule, Recommends Fewer Shots

• The US Department of Health and Human Services has significantly reduced the recommended childhood vaccine schedule from 17 to 11 shots.
• Vaccines for hepatitis A, hepatitis B, Covid-19, and rotavirus are removed from the general schedule; some are now for higher-risk children or require shared clinical decision-making.
• Recommendations for measles, mumps, rubella, polio, chickenpox, and HPV vaccines remain unchanged.
• Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr stated the overhaul aligns the US with international consensus and strengthens informed consent.
• A CDC comparison found the US was a "global outlier" in vaccine doses and diseases covered compared to other developed nations.

Why It Matters: US overhauls its childhood vaccine schedule, reducing recommended shots from 17 to 11 to align with global standards.