The federal government scaled back\u00a0its\u00a0recommended childhood vaccines, sidelining six that have safeguarded millions from serious diseases, long-term disability, and death.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Just three of those\u00a0that\u00a0the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says it will no longer routinely recommend \u2014 against hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and rotavirus \u2014 have prevented\u00a0nearly 2\u00a0million hospitalizations and 90,000 deaths in the past 30 years, according to\u00a0the CDC\u2019s own\u00a0publications<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Federal and private insurance\u00a0will still cover the vaccines<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Experts on childhood disease\u00a0were baffled\u00a0by the change, which\u00a0the Department of\u00a0Health and\u00a0Human\u00a0Services\u00a0said followed \u201ca scientific review of the underlying science.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n The vaccines are \u201cheld to a safety standard higher than any other medical intervention that we have,\u201d said\u00a0Lori\u00a0Handy<\/a>,\u00a0a\u00a0pediatric infectious disease specialist at the Children\u2019s Hospital of Philadelphia. \u201cThe value of routine recommendations is that it really helps the public understand that this has been vetted upside\u00a0down and backwards in every which way.\u201d<\/p>\n Public health officials say the guidance puts the onus on parents to research each vaccine and its importance.\u00a0Here\u2019s\u00a0what they prevent:\u00a0<\/p>\n RSV.<\/strong>\u00a0Respiratory syncytial virus is the most common cause of hospitalization for infants\u00a0in the U.S. It spreads in fall and winter, producing cold-like symptoms and causing\u00a0tens of thousands of hospitalizations and hundreds of deaths yearly.\u00a0<\/p>\n Hepatitis A.<\/strong>\u00a0Hepatitis 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\u00a0people who are homeless or\u00a0abuse drugs or alcohol, with\u00a01,648 cases and 85 deaths<\/a>\u00a0reported in 2023.\u00a0<\/p>\n Hepatitis B.<\/strong>\u00a0The disease causes liver cancer, cirrhosis, and other serious illnesses and is\u00a0particularly dangerous<\/a>\u00a0when contracted by babies and young children. The hepatitis B virus\u00a0is transmitted\u00a0through 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n Rotavirus.<\/strong>\u00a0Before routine administration of the current rotavirus vaccines began in 2006,\u00a070,000 young children\u00a0were hospitalized\u00a0and\u00a050\u00a0died yearly from the virus, known as \u201cwinter vomiting syndrome,\u201d said Sean O\u2019Leary, a University of Colorado pediatrician. \u201cIt was a miserable disease that we hardly see anymore.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Meningococcal disease.<\/strong>\u00a0About 600 to 1,000 U.S. cases of meningococcal disease\u00a0are reported\u00a0yearly, killing more than 10% of those it sickens and\u00a0leaving\u00a01 in 5 survivors\u00a0with a\u00a0disability.\u00a0<\/p>\n Flu.<\/strong>\u00a0The\u00a0virus has\u00a0killed hundreds of children in recent years, though it\u00a0tends\u00a0to be much more severe in older adults.<\/p>\n KFF Health News<\/a> is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF\u2014an independent source of health policy research, polling, and journalism. Learn more about KFF<\/a>.<\/p>\nUSE OUR CONTENT<\/h3>\n