Expert panel: Impacts of sweeping changes to the federal childhood vaccination schedule

As the health care community continues to react and adjust to the several federal vaccine recommendations changes made in recent months from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), several professionals that Contemporary OB/GYN have spoken to have expressed frustration and confusion.

Changes, including a move to “shared clinical decision-making” for some vaccines and re-categorizing other vaccines from all-encompassing vaccination to higher-risk groups, have sent ripples through the health care community.

In many cases, across many areas of medicine, from pediatrics to ob-gyn care, health care professionals have increasingly moved away from CDC-recommended guidance and instead recommend following long-standing health care society recommendations.¹

Several medical societies using their own recommendations

Related to maternal immunization, the American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists (ACOG) has recently released its own updated guidance to reinforce the importance of routine vaccination during pregnancy.²

The College noted that pregnant individuals faced increased risks of maternal morbidity and mortality from influenza, as well as fetal risks including congenital anomalies, spontaneous abortion, preterm birth, and low birth weight. The statement reported no evidence of adverse fetal effects from mRNA-derived vaccines, inactivated virus vaccines, bacterial vaccines, or toxoids and cited growing safety data supporting their use during pregnancy.

WATCH MORE: Kevin Ault, MD, on maternal immunization, following the correct recommendations

In addition to influenza, COVID-19, Tdap, and RSV vaccines, the statement addressed screening for hepatitis B using a triple panel screen in pregnant patients aged 18 years or older if not previously completed.

In January 2026, the American Academy of Pediatrics released the latest version of its updated Childhood and Adolescent Immunization Schedule, which was publicly endorsed by 12 medical and health organizations, including ACOG.³

To address the continued changes and associated confusion, Contemporary OB/GYN and its sister publications Contagion, Pharmacy Times, Contemporary Pediatrics, HCPLive, and The American Journal of Managed Care called upon several experts to break down the recent changes to the federal vaccine schedule.

In this introductory episode above, our panel discusses how these changes have created a paradigm shift in the vaccine space overall. Additionally, the panel explains the potential outcomes of drastic and sweeping changes.

Next episode on maternal vaccination

Stay tuned for another episode to be released on Thursday, March 5, 2026, that will discuss the maternal immunization aspect of the federal changes to the childhood vaccine schedule.

You can view this full series, which explores several aspects of the schedule, here on our sister publication, Contagion.⁴

This roundtable features a panel of clinicians, including:

• Jacinda Abdul-Mutakabbir, PharmD, MPH, assistant professor of clinical pharmacy and antimicrobial resistance researcher at UC San Diego
• Sharon Nachman, MD, chief of pediatric infectious diseases, Stony Brook Children's Hospital
• Mary Koslap-Petraco, DNP, PNP-BC, CPNP, clinical assistant professor at Stony Brook University School of Nursing in Stony Brook
• William Schaffner, MD, professor of medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine

References:

1. Fitch J. Kevin Ault, MD, on maternal immunization, following the correct recommendations. Contemporary OB/GYN. Published February 4, 2026. Accessed March 4, 2026. https://www.contemporaryobgyn.net/view/kevin-ault-md-on-maternal-immunization-following-the-correct-recommendations
2. Fitch J. ACOG updates maternal immunization guidance. Contemporary OB/GYN. Published February 18, 2026. Accessed March 4, 2026. https://www.contemporaryobgyn.net/view/acog-updates-maternal-immunization-guidance
3. Fitch J. American Academy of Pediatrics releases 2026 childhood immunization schedule. Contemporary OB/GYN. Published January 26, 2026. Accessed March 4, 2026. https://www.contemporaryobgyn.net/view/american-academy-of-pediatrics-releases-2026-childhood-immunization-scheduled
4. Clinical Insights: Childhood Vaccine Schedule Changes. Contagion. Published March 3, 2026. Accessed March 6, 2026. https://www.contagionlive.com/roundtables/clinical-insights-childhood-vaccine-schedule-changes