New Vaccine Recommendations Are a Step Backward

February 2, 2026

Under the guidance of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services drastically cut the number of vaccines recommended for children from 17 to 11. They no longer recommend vaccines for hepatitis A, hepatitis B, rotavirus, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), flu and meningococcal disease.

This comes after RFK, Jr. fired all 17 members of the department’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, many of whom were scientists with many years of experience. He replaced them with his own team, many of them long-time vaccine skeptics.

RFK, Jr. and his crew claim the new recommendations bring the U.S. in line with those of other wealthy countries, and they’ve used Denmark as an example. In the case of at least one of the vaccines, bringing the U.S. in line with Denmark represents a step backward for the U.S. Denmark doesn’t vaccinate against rotavirus, and has about 1,200 infants and toddlers hospitalized each year for the disease. That’s a rate similar to what the U.S. saw before it vaccinated against rotavirus, and the U.S. has about 56 times as many people as Denmark. That means the U.S. could see over 60,000 children hospitalized for rotavirus each year if parents and schools follow the new recommendations.

The other vaccines are also known to have been effective in reducing the rates of these diseases in the U.S. The hepatitis A vaccine led to a 90% drop in the disease since 1996. The hepatitis B vaccine led to a 99% drop in reported cases of the disease from 1990 to 2019. Hepatitis B causes liver cancer and liver cancer has also dropped greatly since the vaccine was given widely.

The U.S. is also different from many other wealthy countries in ways that will likely lead to higher rates of disease if children receive fewer vaccinations. Other countries, including Denmark, have universal health care, which is not the case in the U.S. Other countries also conduct more surveillance and screening for infectious diseases and have lower rates of poverty than the U.S.

This can be seen by simply looking at differences in life expectancy between areas right here in this country. Life expectancy is over 10 years longer in the Upper Midwest than in Appalachia, and over 5 years longer Northeastern states compared with Southern states like Mississippi and Alabama. These gaps will likely increase with fewer children being vaccinated.

There are certainly reasons for people to mistrust the medical system in this country, but people like RFK, Jr. and his associates at the DHHS are pushing an anti-scientific agenda that will make things only worse.