Washington, DC, January 5, 2026 — Together, the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO), Trust for America’s Health (TFAH), and the Big Cities Health Coalition (BCHC) issued the following statement in response to today’s announcement by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) of significant changes to the U.S. childhood vaccination schedule:

Our country’s vaccine schedule has been built upon extensive scientific evidence and continuous safety monitoring to best protect children as they grow. It has been deliberated and studied to ensure safety while protecting our country’s children from diseases that can significantly harm their health and wellbeing. For decades, each change to the schedule was discussed openly by experts, with both benefits and risks considered. However, today’s announcement places increased burden on parents and health providers to navigate an increasingly complex system and assure access to these life-saving products. 

Immunizations are the most effective defense we have against a host of deadly and painful illnesses. Ensuring all children receive the vaccines they need on time stops diseases from spreading in the community and ensures healthy childhood development. We see the positive impacts each day, as diseases once commonplace are now rare, and kids are in school instead of being home sick or hospitalized due to preventable illness. Creating new barriers to immunizations, as today’s announcement does, will make it harder for children to have the opportunity to grow up healthy.