In the wake of the federal government changing its guidance on childhood vaccine recommendations, Utah health officials are telling Utahns to “determine which vaccines are right for you and your family” while awaiting final recommendations from a federal panel.

Under President Donald Trump’s administration, new federal guidelines no longer universally recommend children receive six vaccines (to prevent rotavirus, hepatitis A and hepatitis B, meningitis, RSV, COVID-19 and influenza).

Now, the Trump administration says those vaccines should be based on “shared clinical decision-making.”

“It is not always possible for public health authorities to clearly define who will benefit from an immunization, who has the relevant risk factors, or who is at risk for exposure,” say the new guidelines issued earlier this week. “Physicians and parents, who know the child, are then best equipped to decide based on individual characteristics.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, however, continues to recommend that all children are vaccinated against diphtheria, tetanus, acellular pertussis (whooping cough), Haemophilus influenzae type B (Hib), Pneumococcal conjugate, polio, measles, mumps, rubella, human papillomavirus (HPV), and varicella (chickenpox).

Asked Wednesday about how Utah health officials are responding to the new federal guidance, the Utah Department of Health and Human Services issued a prepared statement saying it’s “aware of the changes to the vaccine schedules” recommended by the CDC, but that state officials are waiting for a final recommendation from a federal panel before implementing any changes.

“We will await the final recommendations by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, (which) will meet at the end of February,” the DHHS statement said.

Meanwhile, Utah state health officials recommended that Utahns consult with their doctors when making decisions about vaccines.

“As is the case with all vaccines, DHHS recommends you work closely with your healthcare provider to determine which vaccines are right for you and your family,” the statement said. “Vaccines are a safe, proven, and effective tool for proactively safeguarding public health and preventing the devastating effects of vaccine-preventable disease.”

Medical groups including the American Academy of Pediatrics have opposed the federal guideline changes, calling them “dangerous and unnecessary.”

“For decades, leading health experts, immunologists, and pediatricians have carefully reviewed new data and evidence as part of the immunization recommendation process, helping to keep newborns, infants, and children protected from diseases they could be exposed to in the United States as they develop and grow,” Andrew Racine, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics said in a statement issued Monday in reaction to the guideline changes. “Today’s decision, which was based on a brief review of other countries’ practices, upends this deliberate scientific process.

Utah’s neighboring state of Colorado, meanwhile, is keeping its childhood vaccine recommendations the same despite the federal changes.

The Colorado Board of Health, in accordance with a 2025 state law, updated state vaccine guidance so that it could rely on science-based recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics and other authorities, in addition to the federal government. Colorado legislators passed that law out of fear that the Trump administration would make recommendations for vaccinations that are inconsistent with scientific evidence.

Utah News Dispatch is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.