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Federal health officials reduced the number of vaccines recommended for children on Jan. 5, 2026, following a review ordered by President Donald Trump.

The Department of Health and Human Services concluded that the United States was an outlier among developed countries. Officials said the revised schedule, modeled partly on countries such as Denmark, focuses on the most essential vaccines and is intended to rebuild public trust.

The move has drawn concern from Northern Virginia students, physicians and national medical organizations, which warn that fewer recommendations could lower vaccination rates and allow preventable diseases to return.

“I think this will cause a lot more risk for children since they’re more susceptible to infection and disease,” said Tahiyah Hafez, a junior and the president and founder of McLean’s MedStart club.

Bassam Atiyeh, president of Northern Virginia Pediatric Associates, disputed the scientific basis for the changes. He said vaccines removed from the recommendations had been used safely for more than 30 years and had reduced illnesses and hospitalizations.

“The recommendations from the CDC are not based on any scientific data,” Atiyeh said.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy defended the decision in a public statement, saying officials conducted an extensive evidence review before aligning the American schedule with international practices.

“This decision protects children, respects families, and rebuilds trust in public health,” Kennedy said.

The American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Medical Association have taken the opposite position. Both organizations maintain that reducing the number of recommended vaccines could discourage immunization and increase the spread of infections.

Hafez also raised the possibility that manufacturers could produce fewer doses if demand declines, even though the underlying risk of disease would remain.

Virginia requirements remain in place

Federal recommendations can influence state policy, but states establish their own vaccination requirements for schools.

Virginia requires children entering kindergarten to be vaccinated against several diseases, including measles, mumps, polio, chickenpox, hepatitis A and hepatitis B. Families may receive exemptions only for medical or religious reasons.

During the 2024-25 school year, 2.7% of Virginia kindergarteners were exempted from vaccination requirements.

Parents will still be able to obtain vaccines that are no longer federally recommended. Doctors worry, however, that the revised guidance may cause some families to question vaccines they previously accepted.

“The vaccines will continue to be available, but unfortunately many parents will now start doubting the value of the vaccinations,” Atiyeh said. He predicted that declining childhood vaccination rates could bring back diseases rarely seen in recent decades.

Atiyeh said McLean may be less affected because many residents follow medical research and scientific guidance, but he expects the changes to have a greater impact elsewhere in the country.

For Hafez, the issue comes down to the loss of a layer of protection.

“Vaccines are just extra protection,” she said. “So if you’re not having this extra boost, you’re more at risk than before.”