World
Jul 12, 2026 · Cgkik

RFK Jr. wants to scrutinize the vaccine schedule – but its safety record is already decades long

The U.S. childhood immunization schedule , the grid of colored bars pediatricians share with parents, recommends a set of vaccines given from birth through adolescence to prevent a range of serious infections. The basic structure has been in place since 1995, when federal health officials and medical organizations first issued a unified national standard, though new vaccines have been added regularly as science advanced.

Vaccines on the childhood schedule have been tested in controlled trials involving millions of participants, and they are continuously monitored for safety after being rolled out. The schedule represents the accumulated knowledge of decades of research. It has made the diseases it targets so rare that many parents have never seen them.

A bar chart showing the U.S. childhood vaccine schedule.

You Might Also Like

News

More than half way to the moon, the Artemis II astronauts are grappling with a toilet problem

News

Artemis II shares new lunar images while more than halfway to the moon

News

Artemis 2 astronauts — now halfway to the moon — report 'burning smell' from toilet, but everything's fine

News

NASA Artemis II tracker: Crew less than 60,000 miles from moon ahead of Monday flyby