A Narrow Carve-Out, With Major Consequences
Under the revised guideline, only infants born to mothers who test positive or whose status is unknown must receive a vaccine within 24 hours of birth. Everyone else will shift to a “shared decision-making” model.
For parents electing to delay the birth dose, the committee suggested starting the series no earlier than 2 months of age, and floated the idea of using a serology test to evaluate the need for follow-up shots—an approach many experts say has no scientific grounding.
A Committee Reshaped Under Kennedy Draws Intense Scrutiny
These votes mark the most consequential overhaul of the childhood vaccine schedule under Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who dismissed the previous committee in June and replaced its members with new appointees—many with publicly stated skepticism toward vaccines.
Public health officials have been bracing for sweeping changes since his appointments, warning that weakening long-standing vaccine standards could open the door to preventable outbreaks.
