West Coast Health Alliance aligns with American Academy of Pediatrics on vaccination recommendations

The West Coast Health Alliance continues to recommend vaccination in alignment with the American Academy of Pediatrics on the recommended Child and Adolescent Immunization Schedule.    

On Jan. 5, 2026, the Acting Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention signed a decision memorandum to revise the Child and Adolescent Immunization Schedule and significantly reduce the number of vaccinations routinely recommended for all US children.

The state Department of Health reports this decision “did not follow established procedure for vaccine policy recommendations and threatens an increase in vaccine-preventable diseases in children nationwide.”

A news release from the Hawaiʻi DOH stated: “Children getting sick from the diseases prevented by recommended immunizations leads to missed school for children, missed work for parents and even hospitalization and death in some children.”

The DOH reports the current American Academy of Pediatrics recommended Child and Adolescent Immunization Schedule is based on established vaccine safety and effectiveness evidence.

AAP recommendations consider:

• When children are most vulnerable to diseases;
• When vaccines work best with children’s immune systems;
• The safety of vaccinations being recommended;
• The risk of diseases in the United States;
• Our current access to healthcare and immunizations: and
• Cost effectiveness of implementing national recommendations for a particular vaccination.

While the first three concerns are similar across countries, the last three concerns may differ considerably between countries, according to the DOH. The department reports that the AAP recommended immunization schedule serves as a starting point for discussions, but parents should continue to make informed decisions about the vaccines that their children receive based on discussions with their child’s healthcare provider.

Prior to 2025, AAP had endorsed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations, based on the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, which followed a rigorous review of data on risk of disease and safety of vaccination in the United States.

“Changes in the newly released recommended immunization schedule are not based on changes in vaccine safety and effectiveness data. The changes were based on a comparison of the number of routine vaccinations recommended in the United States versus select other countries. It did not consider the different conditions in each country. These changes were also not vetted by experts from medical and public health organizations, healthcare providers, or the public before they were published,” according to the DOH news release.

The DOH reports it does not expect these changes to affect insurance coverage for vaccines this plan year. All child and adolescent immunizations recommended as of Dec. 31, 2025 will remain available and covered by public and private insurers.

The West Coast Health Alliance will continue to review available vaccine science and ensure continued access to recommended vaccines. Each state is examining the impact of these federal changes on vaccine access in respective states.