Colorado health officials and UCHealth providers are urging parents to continue following the full schedule of childhood vaccinations, despite recent changes in federal recommendations. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently removed several vaccines—including hepatitis A, hepatitis B, meningitis, RSV, influenza, coronavirus, and rotavirus—from its list of routine immunizations for children. These vaccines are now recommended only for high-risk groups or after a discussion between parents and their child’s healthcare provider.
The decision has raised concerns among physician organizations and public health experts. The American Academy of Pediatrics criticized the CDC’s move as “dangerous and unnecessary” and announced it would maintain its own evidence-based guidelines. Dr. Andrew D. Racine, President of the American Academy of Pediatrics, stated: “At a time when parents, pediatricians and the public are looking for clear guidance and accurate information, this ill-considered decision will sow further chaos and confusion and erode confidence in immunizations.”
The American Medical Association also voiced opposition to the updated CDC recommendations. Dr. Sandra Adamson Fryhofer, an AMA trustee, said: “Changes of this magnitude require careful review, expert and public input, and clear scientific justification. When longstanding recommendations are altered without a robust, evidence-based process, it undermines public trust and puts children at unnecessary risk of preventable disease.”
In Colorado, state health officials remain committed to established vaccine schedules. Dr. Ned Calonge, chief medical officer at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, emphasized: “Colorado’s vaccine guidance is rooted in decades of strong scientific evidence and real-world experience. Regardless of changes at the federal level, our priority is ensuring families and providers have trusted, evidence-based guidance to keep children and communities healthy.”
UCHealth leaders echoed these sentiments by continuing to endorse the American Academy of Pediatrics’ vaccination schedule. Dr. Michelle Barron, UCHealth’s senior medical director of infection prevention and control as well as a professor at the University of Colorado School of Medicine on the Anschutz campus, described her reaction to the new CDC guidelines as one of alarm.
“We continue to follow the science, as we always have, and we think the guidance from the American Academy of Pediatrics is still the correct guidance,” Barron said.
She noted that dialogue between clinicians and families about vaccines already takes place during routine care visits; while vaccinations are not mandated by medical providers themselves (though they are generally required by schools), there are exceptions for certain opt-outs.
“You can trust that your provider has your interests in mind,” Barron added.
