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RFK Jr. strips 7 childhood vaccines from US recommended list

15 states sue to reverse the January 5 CDC decision memo·January 5, 2026

On January 5, 2026, Acting CDC Director Jim O'Neill signed a decision memo that removed seven childhood vaccines from the universally recommended schedule, cutting the number of diseases kids are routinely vaccinated against from 17 to 11. The memo was written without new scientific evidence, bypassing the typical advisory process, and instead relied on comparisons to peer countries, primarily Denmark, while ignoring the U.S.'s distinct healthcare gaps. The vaccines demoted include those protecting against rotavirus, meningococcal disease, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, influenza, COVID-19, and RSV. Children can still receive those shots, but only after a conversation with a clinician, which creates a barrier that public health experts say will drive down vaccination rates. On February 24, 2026, a coalition of 15 states filed a federal lawsuit in San Francisco challenging both the memo and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s June 2025 replacement of all 17 ACIP members with vaccine skeptics. Researchers have estimated that routine childhood vaccinations prevented 508 million illnesses, 32 million hospitalizations, and 1.1 million deaths among U.S. children born between 1994 and 2023.

Key facts

"On January 5, 2026, then-Acting CDC Director Jim O Neill signed a decision memo demoting seven childhood vaccines from universally recommended status. O Neill has no medical or scientific background — he was previously the CEO of the Thiel Foundation and a capital investment manager."

"The seven vaccines removed from universal recommendation cover rotavirus, meningococcal disease, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, influenza, COVID-19, and RSV. Before the change, the CDC recommended vaccines against 17 diseases; now it recommends 11."

"The decision memo wasn't based on new science. It relied primarily on comparisons to other developed countries — particularly Denmark — while ignoring that over 100 million Americans lack regular access to primary care, making the 'discuss with your clinician' instruction a real barrier, not neutral guidance."

"In June 2025, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. fired all 17 voting members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices and replaced them with new appointees. At least nine of the 13 current ACIP members lack the qualifications required by the committee's own charter."

"In December 2025, Kennedy's reconstituted ACIP reversed nearly 30 years of CDC policy by eliminating the recommendation for a universal hepatitis B birth dose — a vaccine that is up to 90% effective at preventing perinatal infection when given within 24 hours of birth."

"Researchers studying children born in the U.S. between 1994 and 2023 estimated that routine childhood vaccinations prevented 508 million illnesses, 32 million hospitalizations, and more than 1.1 million deaths, generating $2.7 trillion in societal savings."

"On February 24, 2026, attorneys general from 14 states — Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin — plus Pennsylvania's governor filed a federal lawsuit in San Francisco to reverse the changes."

"The lawsuit names Kennedy, Acting CDC Director Jay Bhattacharya, the CDC, and HHS as defendants. It argues the decision memo violated three federal laws and that the ACIP appointments were unlawful under the Federal Advisory Committee Act."

"Kennedy pledged during his January 2025 Senate confirmation hearings not to cut vaccine funding or change official recommendations. Within weeks of taking office, CDC pulled back $11 billion in COVID-era vaccination grants. He later canceled $500 million in mRNA vaccine research contracts."