Western states split from CDC's updated recommendations on vaccines for kids
Oregon and other western states will follow vaccine recommendations from a leading medical group instead of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention after the federal health agency on Monday changed longstanding pediatric vaccination recommendations.
The CDC cut back on recommendations for all children to receive vaccines such as hepatitis A, hepatitis B, rotavirus, meningococcal disease, influenza and COVID-19 — recommending the vaccines only for high-risk children. Jim O’Neill, acting director of the CDC, signed a memorandum accepting the changes.
Prior to 2025, the American Academy of Pediatrics endorsed CDC recommendations. That has since changed, and the academy has its own list of recommended child vaccines. For example, it recommends children receive vaccinations for hepatitis B upon birth to prevent an infected mother from passing on the virus to their child, followed by a second dose at two months old and a third dose between six and 18 months. It also recommends children between six and 23 months of age receive an initial series of COVID-19 vaccines.
Oregon alongside Washington, California and Hawaii endorse the list as a part of the West Coast Health Alliance. The states launched the alliance in September in response to concerns about the CDC’s credibility under the Trump administration and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime vaccine skeptic.
https://washingtonstatestandard.com/2026/01/07/repub/western-states-split-from-cdcs-updated-recommendations-on-vaccines-for-kids/