What do the new U.S. vaccine recommendations mean for parents and children?

Dr. Charles Whittaker, assistant professor of Infectious Diseases and Vaccinology at the UC Berkeley School of Public Health, offers a critical perspective on the CDC’s January 2026 revision of the U.S. childhood vaccine schedule and what it means for families. Dr. Whittaker highlights concerns over transparency in how the updates were made and urges parents not to equate the new recommendations with changes in vaccine safety, while explaining how “shared clinical decision-making” may affect conversations with healthcare providers. Read the full interview here.