The following information is from Children’s Health Defense.
After the Dept. of Health and Human Services (HHS) postponed a joint press conference with the CDC, major media outlets published reports claiming the agency planned to overhaul the childhood vaccine schedule.
The reports stemmed from a Dec. 18 media invitation announcing a Dec. 19 press conference on “children’s health.” Later that same day, HHS notified reporters that the announcement had been postponed until January 2026.
Despite the postponement, CNN published a story citing “a person familiar with the plans,” claiming HHS intended to revise the US childhood vaccine schedule to more closely resemble Denmark’s.
CNN reported:
“The expectation is that the US schedule will be close to, if not identical to, recommendations in Denmark.”
HHS did not confirm the report. An HHS spokesperson declined to comment to CNN and referred questions back to the agency’s statement announcing the delay. When The Defender asked for confirmation, HHS Press Secretary Emily G. Hilliard said:
“Unless you hear it from HHS directly, this is pure speculation.”
Children’s Health Defense (CHD) CEO Mary Holland criticized the media response.
“Mainstream media has been a runaway train”
– Mary Holland, CEO, Children’s Health Defense
She also pointed to states discussing plans to disregard future CDC vaccine recommendations and to pursue changes related to vaccine mandates and vaccine injury liability.
“Government and media have long suppressed information on vaccine harms. That is now going to change radically as the accountability issue moves front-and-center.”
– Mary Holland, CEO, Children’s Health Defense
CNN reported that the alleged proposal would reduce the number of vaccines given to US children, bringing the schedule more in line with other developed nations. Denmark’s childhood vaccination schedule excludes several vaccines currently recommended in the US, including shots for RSV, hepatitis A, meningococcal disease, flu, and chickenpox.
Other legacy outlets, including The New York Times and The Washington Post, followed CNN’s reporting and featured criticism from vaccine advocates. MedPage Today ran its coverage under the headline: “‘A Disgrace’: Feds to Slash the Number of Recommended Vaccines, Reports Say.”
The Times quoted Danish epidemiologist Anders Hviid, who said the US was becoming “crazier and crazier in public health.” CNN quoted Dr. Paul Offit of Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, who questioned why the US would want to follow Denmark’s approach and suggested the reduced schedule was driven by financial considerations.
CHD senior research scientist Karl Jablonowski disputed that claim, noting Offit is a co-inventor of the rotavirus vaccine, which Denmark does not recommend.
On Dec. 5, President Donald Trump signed a presidential memorandum directing HHS to begin aligning US childhood vaccine recommendations with best practices from peer nations. In a post on X, Trump wrote:
“I am fully confident Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and the CDC, will get this done, quickly and correctly, for our Nation’s Children.”
Although HHS has not disclosed details of the postponed announcement, the agency released a list of planned speakers. They included HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., HHS Deputy Secretary Jim O’Neill, CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz, FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya, and FDA official Tracy Beth Høeg.
Earlier this month, Høeg presented to the CDC’s vaccine advisory panel on differences between the US and Danish schedules. She noted that US children receive significantly more vaccine doses than children in Denmark, the UK, Germany, and Japan, and that European countries rely more heavily on combination vaccines.
Høeg said Denmark’s selective approach has helped maintain public trust.
“We need to avoid political polarization. We should all be united in trying to make the best recommendations that we can for our children.”
– Tracy Beth Høeg
For more information, read the full article here.
