Washington, DC — The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has released its own 2026 childhood immunization schedule, formally breaking with updated federal guidance issued earlier this month by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The AAP’s recommended schedule continues to advise vaccinating children against diseases including hepatitis A and B, meningococcal disease, rotavirus, influenza, and respiratory syncytial virus. Those vaccines were removed from the CDC’s routine childhood schedule under recent changes adopted by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP).
In announcing its schedule, the AAP linked to the CDC’s current guidance but stated it does not endorse it. The organization has repeatedly criticized the federal revisions, calling them “dangerous and unnecessary.” AAP President Andrew Racine said the changes would “sow further chaos and confusion” and undermine public confidence in immunizations.
The disagreement reflects broader tensions between pediatric groups and the Department of Health and Human Services under Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. An HHS spokesperson said the revised CDC schedule aligns U.S. guidance with international norms and emphasizes informed decision-making rather than mandates.
The AAP, which represents about 67,000 pediatricians, boycotted a recent ACIP meeting and is suing the Trump administration over the reduced schedule. The organization argues the revisions were made arbitrarily and that the current ACIP panel should be replaced.
A federal judge earlier this month ordered the administration to restore $12 million in grants to the AAP that had been canceled in December, a move the group said was retaliatory.
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