RFK Jr. Says Fewer Flu Vaccines for Kids May Be a 'Better Thing'

FRIDAY, Jan. 9, 2026 (HealthDay News) — The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is scaling back several childhood vaccine recommendations, prompting concerns that fewer kids will be protected as a result.

Flu shots, along with vaccines for RSV, COVID-19 and more are now advised mainly for kids who are at high risk of severe illness or after a discussion between parents and a doctor.

Until recently, the CDC recommended that everyone age 6 months and older get a flu shot every year.

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary (HHS) Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said the changes could mean fewer children are vaccinated, and suggested that actually might not be a bad thing.

"So fewer people will get the flu vaccine?" CBS News chief White House correspondent Nancy Cordes asked.

"Well, that may be, and maybe that's a better thing," Kennedy responded.

He stressed that vaccines are still available.

"We're not taking vaccines away from anybody," he explained. "If you want to get the vaccine, you can get it. It's gonna be fully covered by insurance, just like it was before."

But, he added: "You need to do shared decision-making with your physician, which is how it ought to be."

Cordes then pressed the secretary on the potential consequences.

"There are 280, 290 kids who died last year due to the flu," she said. "There’s no evidence that any kids died or were harmed due to the flu vaccine. So isn't this inevitably going to lead to more children dying?"

Citing CDC data, Cordes also noted that roughly 90% of children who died from the flu in 2024 were not vaccinated.

Kennedy responded by citing the Cochrane Collaboration, which he called "one of the ultimate arbiters of vaccine safety and clinical data."

He said its reviews found that “there is no scientific evidence that the flu vaccine prevents serious illness, hospitalizations or death in children.”

But many medical experts disagree.

The CDC has previously pointed to multiple studies showing that flu vaccination lowers a child’s risk of severe illness, intensive care stays and death.

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on vaccines for kids.

SOURCE: CBS News, Jan. 7, 2026