The federal government scaled back聽its聽recommended childhood vaccines, sidelining six that have safeguarded millions from serious diseases, long-term disability, and death.听
Just three of those聽that聽the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says it will no longer routinely recommend 鈥� against hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and rotavirus 鈥� have prevented聽nearly 2聽million hospitalizations and 90,000 deaths in the past 30 years, according to聽.听
Federal and private insurance聽.听
Experts on childhood disease聽were baffled聽by the change, which聽the Department of聽Health and聽Human聽Services聽said followed 鈥渁 scientific review of the underlying science.鈥澛�
The vaccines are 鈥渉eld to a safety standard higher than any other medical intervention that we have,鈥� said聽,聽a聽pediatric infectious disease specialist at the Children鈥檚 Hospital of Philadelphia. 鈥淭he value of routine recommendations is that it really helps the public understand that this has been vetted upside聽down and backwards in every which way.鈥�
Public health officials say the guidance puts the onus on parents to research each vaccine and its importance.听Here鈥檚聽what they prevent:聽
RSV.聽Respiratory syncytial virus is the most common cause of hospitalization for infants聽in the U.S. It spreads in fall and winter, producing cold-like symptoms and causing聽tens of thousands of hospitalizations and hundreds of deaths yearly.听
Hepatitis A.聽Hepatitis A vaccination, recommended for all toddlers since 2006, has led to a more than 90% drop in the disease since 1996. The foodborne virus, which causes a wretched illness, still plagues adults, particularly聽people who are homeless or聽abuse drugs or alcohol, with聽聽reported in 2023.听
Hepatitis B.聽The disease causes liver cancer, cirrhosis, and other serious illnesses and is聽particularly dangerous聽when contracted by babies and young children. The hepatitis B virus聽is transmitted聽through blood and other bodily fluids, even in microscopic amounts, and can survive on surfaces for a week. From 1990 to 2019, vaccination resulted in a 99% decline in reported cases of acute hepatitis B among children and teens. Liver cancer among American children also plummeted with universal childhood vaccination.听
Rotavirus.聽Before routine administration of the current rotavirus vaccines began in 2006,聽70,000 young children聽were hospitalized聽and聽50聽died yearly from the virus, known as 鈥渨inter vomiting syndrome,鈥� said Sean O鈥橪eary, a University of Colorado pediatrician. 鈥淚t was a miserable disease that we hardly see anymore.鈥澛�
Meningococcal disease.聽About 600 to 1,000 U.S. cases of meningococcal disease聽are reported聽yearly, killing more than 10% of those it sickens and聽leaving聽1 in 5 survivors聽with a聽disability.听
Flu.聽The聽virus has聽killed hundreds of children in recent years, though it聽tends聽to be much more severe in older adults.