US Health Department Considers Changes to Vaccine Recommendation Categories

The US health department is exploring potential changes to how vaccine recommendations are categorized under Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. This could involve altering the designations of vaccines currently labeled as 'routine' or 'universal' to terms that may appear less definitive, such as 'recommended with qualification' or 'recommended based on shared clinical decision-making.' Kennedy has not yet implemented any new rules but has outlined ideas in a Request for Information (RFI) published online. The RFI invites public feedback on the current categorization system, with comments due by September 20. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) currently recognizes three categories of vaccination recommendations: routine, risk-based, and those based on shared clinical decision-making.