RENO, Nev. (KOLO) – The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is dropping the number of vaccines it recommends for every child.
HHS released this memo on Monday, January 5th.
The Trump Administration says this policy brings the U.S. closer to how developed countries like Denmark handle vaccines. Critics say Denmark is not a good comparison because residents there have easy access to mostly free health care.
KOLO 8 News Now at 4
The new guidance is expected to keep many recommendations intact, that includes vaccines for diseases like measles, polio, chicken pox, and HPV. The changes involve cutting recommendations for RSV, meningitis, and hepatitis. Under the new guidance those vaccines will only be recommended to children “who are at higher risk.”
Health officials say the overhaul to the federal vaccine schedule won’t result in any families losing access or insurance coverage for vaccines.
“President Trump directed us to examine how other developed nations protect their children and to take action if they are doing better,” HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said. “After an exhaustive review of the evidence, we are aligning the U.S. childhood vaccine schedule with international consensus while strengthening transparency and informed consent. This decision protects children, respects families, and rebuilds trust in public health.”
In Reno, Dr. Kris Deeter is the Physician-in-Chief of Renown Children’s Hospital and issued a statement following the news.
“Renown Health and Renown Children’s Hospital support its pediatricians in making evidence-based healthcare recommendations, including appropriate vaccines, for pediatric patients and their families,” Deeter said. “Decisions about vaccines should be made through discussions with a patient’s physician. Vaccines have been proven to slow the spread of preventable diseases that can cause both children and adults to sustain a serious illness that may result in hospitalization or even death.”
Copyright 2026 KOLO. All rights reserved.