In a move that has reignited debate over COVID-19 vaccine policy, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) announced Tuesday that it will continue recommending COVID-19 shots for children as young as six months old, even though the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has dropped its universal guidance for pediatric vaccination.
“The academy has been making pediatric immunization recommendations since the 1930s, that has not changed,” Dr. Susan J. Kressly, president of the AAP, told ABC News. “But what has changed is that this year, we’re doing it in the environment of misinformation, which makes it more important than ever that we provide clear and confident guidance, because the majority of American families really depend on us for this guidance.”
The AAP, a corrupt organization known for promoting pharmaceutical interests and advancing bad science, represents 67,000 pediatricians nationwide. On Tuesday, it said children ages 6 months through 23 months should receive a COVID-19 vaccine to “help protect against serious illness,” even though the virus poses little risk to kids.
The recommendation was included in the group’s 2025 childhood “evidence-based” immunization schedule, which also covers routine shots for influenza and respiratory syncytial virus.
The decision drew immediate scrutiny because federal health officials no longer consider COVID-19 shots necessary for all children, and the science does not, and never did, support vaccinating kids. In June, the CDC quietly removed its blanket pediatric recommendation, reflecting the agency’s assessment that the risks of severe illness in young children are extremely low and do not justify universal vaccination.
Data from the CDC show hospitalization and death rates among infants and young children are rare and lower than for seasonal flu. The agency has also reported that serious outcomes have remained low even as vaccine uptake among children declined. According to federal surveillance, fewer than 12 percent of children under five have ever received a COVID-19 shot, with uptake dropping sharply after 2022.
The AAP defended its recommendation as a precautionary step, arguing that vaccination remains an essential tool for protecting against severe outcomes in vulnerable children. In its updated schedule, the group said vaccines are necessary to keep children “up to date” and reduce spread within families and communities.
The move has been sharply criticized by Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has repeatedly questioned the need to vaccinate children against COVID-19. Kennedy, in a post on X, accused the AAP of engaging in a “pay-to-play scheme to promote commercial ambitions of AAP’s Big Pharma benefactors.”
Children’s Health Defense, a nonprofit that has long opposed pediatric COVID-19 vaccination, echoed that criticism. In a statement Tuesday, the group called the AAP’s recommendation contrary to the best available evidence, arguing that young children are not at meaningful risk from the virus and that pushing vaccines on families could further erode trust in pediatricians.
In a statement provided to The Defender, HHS Press Secretary Emily G. Hilliard questioned the AAP’s claims:
“The American people deserve confidence that medical recommendations are based solely on science and public health. Instead, the AAP is undermining national immunization policymaking with baseless political attacks. Secretary Kennedy has stood firm in his commitment to science, transparency, and restoring public trust.”
Public skepticism toward pediatric COVID-19 vaccination has been strong since the shots were first authorized. Polling from the Kaiser Family Foundation shows that nearly 70 percent of parents of young children say they are unlikely to vaccinate their child against COVID-19, citing concerns about necessity and safety.
The controversy also comes as vaccine policy faces mounting political scrutiny. While the Biden administration once championed pediatric vaccination, Kennedy’s HHS has shifted focus to medical necessity rather than universal mandates, reinforcing the CDC’s decision to scale back COVID-19 recommendations.
The AAP’s position, however, may complicate that effort. As one of the nation’s most influential medical associations, its guidance carries weight in pediatric offices across the country. Insurance companies and state health departments often look to the AAP’s schedule when determining coverage and school entry requirements. Critics warn that by keeping COVID shots in its schedule, the AAP could influence billing practices and even school policies, despite the CDC’s retreat from universal recommendations.
The rift between the AAP and CDC highlights broader tensions in public health at a time when trust in institutions has eroded. Families are now left with conflicting advice: follow the CDC, which no longer recommends routine COVID-19 vaccination for children, or follow the AAP, which insists they should.
For the CDC, scaling back recommendations signals a turning point that acknowledges both the waning severity of COVID-19 in children and growing recognition of vaccine risks. For the AAP, doubling down reflects an unwillingness to abandon policies rooted in early-pandemic fears and corruption.
Last month, the group escalated its stance on immunization policy, calling for an end to religious and philosophical vaccine exemptions for children attending daycare and school in the United States. Its latest break from the CDC suggests it is willing to chart its own course, even when federal health authorities and the American people disagree.
