RFK Jr. Considers Reshaping Vaccine Recommendation Categories

US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is exploring potential changes to the categorization and description of vaccine recommendations. This initiative could lead to vaccines currently classified as "routine" or "universal" being assigned new designations, possibly sounding less definitive, such as "recommended with qualification" or based on "shared clinical decision-making."

While no new rules have been established, Kennedy outlined these possibilities in a Request for Information (RFI) published online Friday and in the Federal Register on Monday. The RFI poses questions about the current categories and seeks public input on ideas for modification or replacement, with a comment deadline of September 20.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), guided by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), currently uses three categories for vaccine recommendations: routine (for everyone), risk-based (for specific high-risk groups), and "shared clinical decision-making" (SCDM), a flexible recommendation based on patient and provider judgment.