Childhood flu vaccinations are falling nationwide amid an unusually severe influenza season. New federal data show fewer children receiving flu shots compared with last year, extending a downward trend that has persisted for several seasons. The slide comes amid recent changes to federal vaccine guidance under the Trump administration. Instead of recommending flu shots for all children, the Department of Health and Human Services, under Robert F. Kennedy Jr., advises parents to consult doctors first—part of a broader overhaul of the childhood vaccination schedule. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, flu vaccine uptake among children ages 6 months to 17 years was down 1.5 percentage points nationally as of Jan. 3 compared with the same point last year. A handful of states bucked the trend, including Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Delaware. Rates fell sharply in Rhode Island, Tennessee, and Massachusetts. Data is unavailable for six states. Medical groups criticized the shift. “Changes of this magnitude require careful review,” said American Medical Association trustee Sandra Adamson Fryhofer, adding that such rigor “was not part of this decision.”
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