Canada Won't Mimic US Vaccine Cuts, Experts Say

In early January 2026, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced revisions to its recommended child and adolescent vaccine schedule. This update reduces the number of universally recommended immunizations from 17 to 11. Despite this change, infectious disease experts in Canada do not expect their country to follow suit, citing a lack of new evidence specific to Canadian populations.

Canadian public health organizations, like the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI), consider regional needs, demographics, budget constraints, and available resources when formulating recommendations. Provincial and territorial health authorities then decide whether to adopt these recommendations, taking their own budgets and delivery capabilities into account. This decentralized approach allows for tailored public health responses, as seen with Nova Scotia's Men-B vaccine offering during a 2022 meningitis outbreak.

Experts in Canada stress that decisions are evidence-based and involve extensive deliberation, unlike the U.S. approach, which some suggest was influenced by nations with different healthcare systems. While U.S. high-risk groups will still be advised to receive all previously recommended vaccines, the core change impacts the universal schedule. Canadian experts aim to foster vaccine confidence and assure parents that maintaining up-to-date vaccinations provides protection, even when traveling to the U.S.