Doctors fear CDC vaccine recommendation changes will fuel vaccine hesitancy in Canada
- Hannah Alberga
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
TORONTO - Sweeping changes to the childhood vaccine schedule in the U.S. are concerning doctors who say Canadian parents might get the false impression that it’s unsafe to immunize their children.
Jan. 6, 2026
By Hannah Alberga, The Canadian Press
TORONTO - Sweeping changes to the childhood vaccine schedule in the U.S. are concerning doctors who say Canadian parents might get the false impression that it’s unsafe to immunize their children.
Ontario Medical Association President Dr. Zainab Abdurrahman says she is most worried about the confusion that parents may feel when they see that the U.S. and Canada have different immunization recommendations for kids.
She says that can drive misinformation, causing a rise of serious illnesses that are preventable.
“From a Canadian perspective, it’s a cautionary tale for us,” Abdurrahman said, speaking about the resurgence of preventable diseases that can happen after even a small drop in immunization levels, as seen with measles outbreaks over the past year.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its routine vaccine schedule on Monday, reducing the number of recommended shots.
The Public Health Agency of Canada says those changes do not affect vaccine decision-making in Canada, which is informed by rigorous reviews of all available evidence.
Several vaccines that prevent illnesses such as rotavirus and meningococcal disease are no longer recommended for all children by the CDC. Neither are the flu and RSV shots.
Instead, they’re either recommended for “certain high-risk groups” or “based on shared clinical decision-making.”
Abdurrahman said Canada’s vaccine schedule remains based in science, and unless there is a change in evidence, the schedule will stay the same.
