On Jan. 5, the U.S. Department of Disease Control and Prevention shortened the list of recommended vaccines for child immunization from 18 to 11, changing the schedule, the timeline detailing what vaccines students get and when.

       According to KGW8, those removed from the universal list of recommended vaccines included vaccines for “chickenpox, influenza, COVID-19, RSV, hepatitis A, meningitis and rotavirus,” while some remain for children only considered high risk. Others are categorized under “shared clinical decision-making,” meaning individual consultation by caregivers and healthcare is advised rather than a federal recommendation.

      This decision has faced a lot of backlash from several healthcare professionals. Dr. Deborah Lehman, a clinical professor of pediatrics at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) David Geffen School of Medicine, said, “By removing vaccines from the routine schedule … it really telegraphs or transmits a message to families, to parents, to the public, that these vaccines are not essential.” 

      According to the Chicago Sun Times, despite the federal shift, the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) has stated that “its recommendations for childhood vaccines will not be affected by a change in federal guidelines” meaning that state school and child care immunization requirements will remain unchanged. 

      Furthermore, according to WTTW, Governor JB Pritzker has already signed a bill into law on Dec. 2, that he says will “ensure vaccine access in Illinois and help safeguard against anti-vaccine federal guidelines…” ahead of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s decision.

      The IDPH will continue to enforce the established vaccine mandates for school entry as outlined in the state’s Minimum Immunization Requirements for the 2025-2026 school year. Dr. Valarie Leak, an H-F nurse, states that “we continue to enforce what the state requires.”

      For parents, the immediate effects are limited based on a child’s individual wellbeing, a matter limited only to conversations between you, your child and current healthcare providers about vaccination options and timing. For school administration, it is unclear whether this new vaccination schedule will drastically influence future public health communication and decision-making at the federal and local level.