The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on Monday announced a significant change to the nation’s childhood immunization guidance, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reducing the number of routinely recommended childhood vaccines from 17 to 11.

Federal officials said the updated schedule reflects a shift toward a more individualized approach to vaccination and aligns the United States more closely with countries such as Denmark, where fewer vaccines are universally recommended, and more decisions are tailored to individual circumstances.

Under the revised guidance, some vaccines will continue to be recommended for all children, including measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR), polio, DTaP, Hib, pneumococcal (PCV), chickenpox, and HPV, which is now recommended as a single dose instead of two. Other vaccines — including influenza, COVID-19, RSV, rotavirus, hepatitis A and B, and meningococcal vaccines — will no longer follow a one-size-fits-all model and may be recommended based on a child’s health, risk factors, and family preferences.

Officials said parents are encouraged to make these decisions in consultation with their child’s healthcare provider. 

Health officials emphasized that shared decision-making between families and clinicians is a central part of the updated approach. The new recommendations take effect immediately, with additional guidance for healthcare providers and parents expected in the coming weeks.

For New Mexico families, the federal change may have a limited immediate impact. In October 2025, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham signed Senate Bill 3, which allows the state to set its vaccination rules based on guidance from the New Mexico Department of Health or the American Academy of Pediatrics, rather than automatically adopting every update to the CDC’s national schedule.

As a result, New Mexico can maintain its existing vaccination requirements and recommendations even as federal guidance shifts. The law also gives the state health department more flexibility to purchase and distribute vaccines through its statewide program without waiting on certain federal recommendation steps.

Parents with questions are encouraged to talk with their child’s pediatrician about how the updated guidelines apply to their child.