AAP Releases Updated Childhood Vaccine Schedule Amid Recent HHS Overhaul

On Monday, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) released its annual updated childhood and adolescent immunization schedule, according to a prepublication release.¹ Although the AAP revisits its guidelines every year, its 2026 schedule is especially unique because it is explicitly no longer endorsing recommended schedules from the CDC, which the AAP has commonly supported in the past.²

“For now, unfortunately, we have to ignore everything about vaccines that is coming from our federal government,” Sean O’Leary, MD, MPH, chair of the AAP’s Committee on Infectious Diseases, said in Medical Professionals Reference.³ “Parents should trust their pediatrician, trust the professional societies like the AAP.”

According to the organization’s officially updated schedule, new recommendations are geared toward childhood vaccines, including those protecting against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), influenza, human papillomavirus (HPV), and COVID-19.¹

Throughout the history of childhood vaccine recommendations in the US, AAP and CDC have been commonly aligned on universal schedules, despite some divergence between the groups over the years. However, despite the 2 groups being particularly aligned since 1993—when the CDC and AAP pledged to design 1 universal schedule for these populations—recent events in 2025 and beyond have highlighted yet another nationally impacting disagreement.²

READ MORE: More Than 200 Organizations Denounce Childhood Vaccine Schedule Change

How the CDC Forged Its Own Path in Childhood Vaccine Guidelines

Upon the inauguration of President Trump at the beginning of 2025, government health organizations experienced major overhauls that have extended throughout the past year. The CDC’s first move since the new administration took office was to remove COVID-19 vaccine recommendations from the schedules of healthy children back in May.

Then, after being sworn in as secretary of the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Robert F. Kennedy Jr—long-time skeptic of vaccine efficacy and safety—^2,3dismissed all 17 members of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) in June of last year.⁴ Since then, the committee members have been replaced by a collection of RFK Jr’s supporters who share similarly negative sentiments toward vaccine technology.²

Amid some of these unprecedented changes to health-related government programs, AAP stood its ground and pledged to continue creating evidence- and science-based immunization schedules, according to AAP News. The most notable update, however, later came in 2026, when HHS announced a significantly limited childhood schedule for RSV, meningococcal disease, hepatitis B, and hepatitis A vaccines.⁵

Furthermore, the brunt of HHS and CDC’s updated childhood vaccine schedule was focused on moving away from universal recommendations and giving the parents and guardians of younger patients the ability to make shared clinical decisions with their providers.

The Collective Stance on Childhood Vaccines Moving Forward

“For the first time in our country, we’re going to have really varying laws, policies, and attitudes about vaccines based on where people live,” Jen Kates, PhD, senior vice president and director of the Global and Public Health Policy Program at KFF, said in Medical Professionals Reference.³ “It’s a major sea change in public health policy.”

Since the collection of vaccine-related events in 2025, as well as major updates at the beginning of this year, many experts and organizations have been in a frenzy to both denounce HHS’ decisions and continue promoting the safety and efficacy of childhood vaccines.

For the time being, despite their antivaccine sentiments, leaders of the CDC and HHS have yet to fully scale back on childhood vaccines or remove them entirely.⁵ However, experts at AAP, and those involved in infectious diseases and beyond, believe these developments can have detrimental effects on US public health going forward.

At the time this was written, aside from its own updated schedule, AAP and its similarly aligned organizations are calling on Congress to act.

“While communities across the country endure increasing hospitalizations and deaths from seasonal flu, including the deaths of 9 children in the last few months, federal health officials are now no longer recommending the flu vaccine for children,” said a group of organizations in a letter to Congress.⁶ “We urge you to investigate why the schedule was changed, why credible scientific evidence was ignored, and why the committee charged with advising the HHS secretary on immunizations did not discuss the schedule changes as a part of their public meeting process.”

Until government bodies intervene, however, AAP and CDC seem like they will continue to provide differing opinions. Adding a distinct barrier between the 2 organizations, each seems to be forging their own paths regarding childhood vaccines, which could result in a variety of public health consequences in the near-to-long-term future.

“We’re not stepping back, we’re stepping up,” concluded AAP President Susan Kressly, MD, FAAP, according to AAP News.² “The AAP will continue to publish our own immunization schedule just as we always have, developed by experts, guided by science, trusted by pediatricians and families across the country.”

READ MORE: Immunization Resource Center

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REFERENCES

1. O’Leary ST. Recommended childhood and adolescent immunization schedule: United States, 2026: policy statement. Pediatrics. January 26, 2026. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2025-075754

2. Arthur E. AAP has been leading voice on childhood vaccine recommendations since 1930s. AAP News. July 30, 2025. Accessed January 28, 2026. https://publications.aap.org/aapnews/news/32762/AAP-has-been-leading-voice-on-childhood-vaccine

3. Doctors turn to pediatric group’s vaccine schedule after CDC changes. Medical Professionals Reference. January 28, 2026. Accessed January 28, 2026. https://www.empr.com/news/doctors-turn-to-pediatric-groups-vaccine-schedule-after-cdc-changes/

4. HHS takes bold step to restore public trust in vaccines by reconstituting ACIP. HHS. June 9, 2025. Accessed January 28, 2026. https://www.hhs.gov/press-room/hhs-restore-public-trust-vaccines-acip.html

5. Nowosielski B. HHS limits vaccine recommendations for childhood schedules. Drug Topics. January 5, 2026. Accessed January 28, 2026. https://www.drugtopics.com/view/hhs-limiting-vaccine-recommendations-for-childhood-schedules

6. Nowosielski B. More than 200 organizations denounce childhood vaccine schedule change. Drug Topics. January 19, 2026. Accessed January 28, 2026. https://www.drugtopics.com/view/more-than-200-organizations-denounce-childhood-vaccine-schedule-change