The American Academy of Pediatrics has released its own childhood vaccine schedule, breaking with updated guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The AAP recommends that children be vaccinated against 18 diseases, including respiratory syncytial virus, hepatitis A and B, rotavirus, influenza and meningococcal disease.
Current CDC guidance recommends vaccination against 11 diseases and no longer calls for universal childhood vaccines for influenza, hepatitis A and B, rotavirus and respiratory syncytial virus.
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The AAP is among several medical organizations suing the CDC over the changes, asking a court to restore the previous guidance. The groups argue the revised recommendations are not grounded in science.
“For more than 60 years, millions of children and countless American communities have experienced the benefits of routine childhood vaccinations,” said AAP President Dr. Andrew Racine. “The AAP is working with our partners across medicine and public health to ensure that parents have credible, science-backed vaccine recommendations they can trust.
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The Trump administration has defended its decision to reduce the number of vaccines recommended for children. The Department of Health and Human Services said its review of vaccination schedules in 20 peer nations found the United States to be an “outlier” in both the number of vaccines and the number of doses recommended for all children.
Agency officials have framed the changes as an effort to increase public trust by recommending only what they describe as the most essential childhood vaccinations.
