Federal health officials may update vaccine recommendation categories, they said on Aug. 24.
The CDC publishes vaccine schedules for adults and children that are widely used by states.
The schedule primarily contains routine, or universal, recommendations. Shots under that category, including vaccines against polio and rotavirus, are recommended for virtually everyone.
Risk-based recommendations are narrower. Only people who fall into certain categories, such as those in the medical field, should receive vaccines under that category, per CDC guidance.
The third category, formally known as shared clinical decision-making, and also as individual-based decision-making, means that each person should take into account their health history and other factors, and have a conversation with their doctor, before taking certain vaccines.
Kennedy oversees the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), of which the CDC is a division.
HHS officials also want to know whether the current three categories “unintentionally imply that parental permission, individual consent, or meaningful clinical discussion applies only to shared clinical decision-making recommendations.” That’s because that third category describes a process of consulting with doctors, while the others do not.
Under one possible new category, vaccines would be recommended, but not for infants, Kennedy said.
The public comment deadline is Sept. 20.
Officials tried in January to move six vaccines from routinely recommended to risk-based and/or shared-clinical decision-making, but the change was blocked by a federal judge. An appeal is ongoing.
The new document will help further the executive order, according to Kennedy.