What Happens if Vaccines Aren’t Recommended?

Advisers to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. appear poised to make consequential changes to the childhood vaccination schedule. Apoorva Mandavilli, a science and global health reporter at The New York Times, explains how this change could affect vaccine accessibility.

By Apoorva Mandavilli, Melanie Bencosme and James Surdam

June 18, 2025