Washington state supports 15 vaccines for children
This story appears in the January 2026 edition of The Washington Nurse.
Washington state and its partners in the West Coast Health Alliance (California, Oregon, Hawaii) oppose the CDC decision Jan. 5 to remove seven vaccines from the recommended federal vaccine schedule for children.
The vaccines removed protect against the flu, COVID, rotavirus, hepatitis, some forms of meningitis, and RSV.
| Vaccine | Recommendations by the American Academy of Pediatrics and Washington State | New Federal Guidance |
|---|---|---|
| Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) | All children | High risk only |
| Hepatitis A | All children | "Shared decision-making" |
| Hepatitis B | All children | "Shared decision-making" |
| Rotavirus | All children | "Shared decision-making" |
| Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) | All children | All children |
| Pneumococcal | All children | All children |
| Polio | All children | All children |
| Covid | All children | "Shared decision-making" |
| Flu | All children | "Shared decision-making" |
| Measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) | All children | All children |
| Varicella | All children | All children |
| Diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis (DTaP, Tdap) | All children | All children |
| Human papillomavirus (HPV) | All children | All children |
| Meningococcal | All children | "Shared decision-making" |
(Source: KUOW)
The Washington State Department of Health issued a release soon after the decision was announced.
On January 5, 2026, the Acting Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention signed a decision memorandum to revise the Child and Adolescent Immunization Schedule and significantly reduce the number of vaccinations routinely recommended for all U.S. children. This decision did not follow established procedure for vaccine policy recommendations and threatens an increase in vaccine-preventable diseases in children nationwide. Children getting sick from the diseases prevented by recommended immunizations leads to missed school for children, missed work for parents, and even hospitalization and death in some children.
The West Coast Health Alliance supports the current American Academy of Pediatrics Recommended Child and Adolescent Immunization Schedule, which is based on established vaccine safety and effectiveness evidence.
WSNA, along with the nurses’ associations in Oregon, California, and Hawaii said the formation of the alliance “comes at a critical moment, as the erosion of public trust in federal health agencies has underscored the urgent need for strong, science-driven leadership at the state and regional levels.” (See statement from the four nurses’ associations in September 2025.)
Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson told KUOW in an emailed statement, “this weakening of our childhood vaccine schedule nationwide is shocking, unprecedented, and completely unscientific.”
RSV, for example, is the leading cause of infant hospitalization in the United States and the federal government now only recommends the vaccine for high-risk babies and children.