Your kids could get fewer vaccinations under new CDC guidelines

The number of vaccination recommendations for U.S. children could drop to 11 from 17 if states follow revised immunization guidelines released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Jan. 5.

Instead of requiring vaccinations for rotavirus, influenza, meningococcal disease, Covid-19, and hepatitis A and B, parents can choose whether to have the shots administered after consulting with healthcare providers. That's a process called "shared decision-making."

Vaccinations for 11 other diseases are still recommended under the decision, which was presented in a memorandum released by Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services Jim O’Neill, who is also the CDC's acting director. The changes are effective immediately.

The plan aligns the U.S. with other developed nations while advancing one of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s long-term goals, Reuters reported. Kennedy has a history of questioning the safety of many childhood vaccines. 

Vaccinations: What's recommended, what's not

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Vaccine recommendations did not change for people considered at high risk of illness.

Individual states have final say on whether vaccinations should be mandatory. However, CDC recommendations can greatly influence state regulators, healthcare providers, and insurers. 

O'Neill approved the updated guidelines a month after President Donald Trump called for reducing the number of vaccines in children's schedules.

Insurance providers will continue covering immunization costs regardless of the category, Reuters reported. Among the changes, the CDC now recommends a single dose of the human papillomavirus vaccine instead of two.

NOTE This story has been updated to clarify list of diseases

SOURCE USA TODAY Network reporting and research; Reuters; Department of Heath and Human Services