US President Donald Trump’s government is recommending significantly fewer vaccinations for children in the future than before. As in Switzerland, only 11 instead of 17 basic vaccinations are now recommended.
Jan 6, 2026, 5:08 amJan 6, 2026, 5:08 am
The vaccination recommendation should only apply to the eleven “most serious and dangerous diseases,” Trump announced on his Truth Social platform. “Parents can continue to have their children given all vaccinations if they wish,” Trump wrote. The costs for this would continue to be covered by the health insurance companies.
Skeptical about vaccinations: Donald Trump and his Secretary of Health Robert Kennedy Jr.Image: keystone
According to the US health authority CDC, 17 immunizations were planned for children by the end of 2024. Vaccinations that are no longer generally recommended include those for rotavirus, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, RSV infections, meningococcal B and meningococcal ACWY. This emerged from an overview by the US health authority CDC.
Announcement of the revision a month ago
Trump’s Health Secretary Robert Kennedy is skeptical about vaccinations. The revision of the vaccination recommendations for children was announced at the beginning of December. The recommendations should be compared with those of other industrialized countries.
The reason given was that with vaccinations against so many diseases, the USA had a “special position” compared to other industrialized nations. Accordingly, Germany requires vaccinations against 15 diseases, while in Denmark there are only ten.
In Switzerland, from BAG Eleven basic vaccinations are recommended for children, these are the following:
- diphtheria
- tetanus
- Whooping cough (pertussis)
- Child paralysis (polio)
- Meningitis and laryngitis caused by Haemophilus influenzae type b
- Hepatitis B
- Pneumococcus
- measles
- mumps
- rubella
- Chickenpox (varicella)
Further vaccinations against rotaviruses and meningococci are recommended in this country for parents who want to specifically protect their children against these pathogens. Immunization against other diseases such as Covid-19, TBE or the flu is recommended for children who belong to a risk group.
The Swiss list is similar to the adapted one in the USA. As the US health authority CDC announced on Monday, 20 “comparable industrialized countries” were used in the latest reassessment. The authority also now recommends vaccinations in the USA against:
- diphtheria
- tetanus
- whooping cough
- Flu (Hib)
- Pneumococcus
- polio
- measles
- mumps
- rubella
- Human papilloma viruses (HPV)
- Chickenpox (varicella)
Criticism from doctors
The US Professional Association of Pediatricians (AAP) criticized the new, reduced vaccination recommendations as “dangerous and unnecessary”. It continued:
“The United States is not Denmark, and there is no reason to force the Danish vaccination plan on American families.”
The disease risks and health systems of the two countries differ “significantly”.
(con/sda/dpa)