Governor Healey Condemns CDC Rollback of Childhood Vaccine Recommendations

On January 5, 2026, Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey condemned the CDC’s decision to significantly reduce the number of recommended routine childhood vaccines. Governor Healey and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) are making clear that despite these misguided federal decisions, Massachusetts will continue to recommend and provide easy access to all the vaccines that for decades have enabled families to protect their children from preventable diseases.  

“We’re fortunate that our state leaders, both in the Governor’s Office and at DPH, are committed to vaccine recommendations rooted in science and evidence,” said CPHD’s Medical Director Linda Shipton, MD. “Their efforts to ensure that individuals have vaccine access and corresponding insurance coverage give us confidence that Cambridge residents will be able to protect themselves and their families on an ongoing basis. DPH and the Cambridge Public Health Department will continue to make evidence-based recommendations for vaccinations regardless of changes at the federal level.” 

For decades, the CDC’s childhood immunization schedule has recommended 17 routine childhood vaccines. Under the new CDC guidance, vaccines that are no longer routinely recommended include those for hepatitis A, hepatitis B, rotavirus, influenza, COVID-19, and meningococcal disease. 

“The decision to change CDC’s childhood immunization schedule is reckless and deeply dangerous. It abandons decades of rigorous, evidence-based science and replaces clear public health guidance with confusion and doubt,” said Public Health Commissioner Robbie Goldstein, MD, PhD. “At a moment when we are seeing measles outbreaks, the resurgence of whooping cough, and a flu season that has already taken the lives of children in our state, this ill-advised federal action puts families in an impossible position and puts infants, children, and communities at risk.”

Unlike the CDC, Massachusetts still recommends the 17 routine childhood vaccines. Governor Healey has taken several steps in recent months to ensure that vaccines remain available in Massachusetts. Last year, she signed legislation granting DPH authority to set independent standards for vaccine recommendations rather than rely on the federal government’s recommendations.

Read the full statement from the Governor and DPH’s offices.