🩺 CDC Panel Launches New Review of Childhood Vaccine Schedule

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Washington, D.C. — October 2025

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is initiating a comprehensive review of the childhood immunization schedule, just weeks after voting to delay the combined measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) and chickenpox vaccine.

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According to newly released documents, the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) is forming a Childhood and Adolescent Immunization Schedule Work Group. The group will evaluate current vaccine timing, ingredients, and global practices to inform future CDC recommendations.

This move follows a major reshuffling of ACIP leadership by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who appointed Retsef Levi—a vocal critic of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines—to lead the committee’s COVID-19 working group. Levi has repeatedly called for halting mRNA vaccine use and accused the CDC of failing to communicate potential risks.

🔍 What the New Work Group Will Examine:

• Vaccine timing and sequencing

• New immunization technologies and ingredients

• Monoclonal antibody administration

• Safety of vaccine components like aluminum

• International vaccine schedule comparisons

• Rising vaccine hesitancy among parents

The identities of the work group’s members and chair remain undisclosed.

Kennedy, a longtime critic of what he calls “excessive childhood vaccinations,” has claimed that children receive up to 92 vaccines from birth to age 18. However, experts like Dr. Pia Pannaraj of the American Academy of Pediatrics estimate the standard number is closer to 33 vaccines, depending on individual health needs.

Kennedy has also promoted theories linking mercury-based preservatives in vaccines to neurological disorders, despite a lack of scientific evidence supporting a causal relationship at current exposure levels.

In September, ACIP made several key decisions:

• Delayed the combined MMR and chickenpox vaccine

• Postponed a vote on the Hepatitis B vaccine

• Replaced COVID-19 vaccine guidance with individual-based decision-making

As the CDC reevaluates its immunization strategy, the intersection of science, public trust, and political influence continues to shape the future of vaccine policy in the U.S.