State Of Alaska Still Has A Vaccination Schedule For Children; Read Here

Childhood Immunization Schedule Update From State Of Alaska 

February 13th, 2026 

Diphtheria (Wikipedia)

Background

Childhood immunizations are a foundation of pediatric care and are among the most effective tools for preventing serious illness, lifelong complications, and death from infectious diseases. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) publishes immunization recommendations that serve as national guidance. States are responsible for evaluating this guidance and applying it in a manner consistent with state-specific laws and needs.

On January 26, 2026, CDC updated the Child and Adolescent Immunization Schedule which retains all previously recommended, FDA-approved vaccines but reclassified several from routine universal use to high-risk or shared clinical decision- making (SCDM) categories.1 SCDM applies to vaccines that Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) determines may benefit some individuals but are not universally indicated for all children within a specific age or risk group.2 This Bulletin summarizes these changes to national recommendations and provides additional Alaska-specific guidance.

CDC’s 2026 Guidance

What CDC Did Not Change1

• CDC made no changes to routine recommendations for diphtheria, tetanus, and acellular pertussis (DTaP); tetanus, diphtheria, and acellular pertussis (Tdap); Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib); human papillomavirus (HPV); pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCV15 and PCV20); inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV); measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR); and varicella vaccines.

• CDC continues to recommend respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) immunization for all infants whose mothers did not receive the maternal RSV vaccine.

• CDC continues to recommend meningococcal B (MenB) vaccination for high-risk individuals or through SCDM.

  What CDC Did Change1

• CDC reclassified hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and meningococcal ACWY vaccines to be given to children with certain risk factors and through SCDM for others.

• CDC reclassified influenza, COVID-19, and rotavirus vaccines to be offered through SCDM.

• CDC revised HPV vaccination guidance to one dose (at age 11 years) rather than 2 or 3 doses.

  Alaska Considerations

  Alaska has historically experienced disproportionately high rates of many vaccine-preventable diseases. This history drove public health initiatives in vaccination that positioned Alaska as a national leader in preventing serious childhood infectious diseases. Early adoption of universal childhood hepatitis A and B, Hib, and pneumococcal vaccination produced dramatic reductions in chronic infection, liver cancer in children and adults, and other serious infectious diseases. Statewide systems such as VacTrAK, universal vaccine access programs, and school and childcare immunization requirements have contributed meaningfully to Alaska’s efforts to control serious vaccine-preventable diseases.

  Harmful vaccine-preventable pathogens still circulate in Alaska, and decreased immunization coverage can facilitate disease transmission. Alaska-specific factors such as crowded housing, geographic isolation, and limited health care and public health resources can further contribute to disease spread. As such, in addition to CDC’s routinely recommended childhood immunizations,1 hepatitis A, and hepatitis B, meningococcal ACWY, rotavirus, COVID-19, influenza, and RSV vaccines are still routinely recommended immunizations for Alaska children.

  Vaccine Availability, Reimbursement, and Information

  All vaccines on the CDC childhood immunization schedule remain available through clinics, pharmacies, and hospitals. Vaccines are provided at no cost to eligible children through the federal Vaccines for Children Program and the Alaska Vaccine Assessment Program. Private insurers are expected to continue covering recommended vaccines through at least the end of 2026.3 Vaccine Information Statements will be updated as needed, VacTrAK is expected to retain current forecasting, and Alaska school and childcare immunization requirements (established by state statute) have not changed.4

  Summary

  CDC’s 2026 childhood immunization schedule did not remove any vaccines, though it reclassified several from routine use to high-risk or SCDM. Given Alaska’s persistently high rates of many vaccine-preventable diseases and ongoing unique risk factors,5 Alaska clinicians should recommend all CDC routine childhood and adolescent vaccines as well as hepatitis A, hepatitis B, influenza, meningococcal ACWY, rotavirus, COVID-19, influenza, and RSV vaccines for Alaska children and adolescents. This guidance aligns with Alaska’s responsibility to tailor national recommendations to local epidemiology and health system realities while remaining consistent with FDA-approved uses of vaccines. All vaccines remain available and covered through established federal and state programs. Lastly, as always, informed consent should be used for all immunizations, providing balanced information on benefits and risks to support informed decisions.

  Recommendations

  1. Offer and recommend CDC’s routinely recommended childhood immunizations as well as hepatitis A, hepatitis B, meningococcal ACWY, rotavirus, and RSV immunizations.

  2. Continue to offer and recommend COVID-19 and influenza vaccines, especially for those at high-risk for severe disease.

  3. For optimal protection against HPV-related cancers, offer and recommend the full FDA-approved 2- or 3-dose HPV series.

  4. Use informed consent to engage families in a clear, balanced discussion on the benefits and potential risks of all childhood vaccines, enabling them to make informed choices.

  5. Schedules for implementing Alaska immunization recommendations for children and adolescents are found here:https://health.alaska.gov/en/education/immunization- information/.1,6,7

  6. Encourage families to use Docket® to review immunization records and support timely vaccination.8

  References

  1. CDC. Your Child Needs Vaccines As They Grow! (February 11, 2026). Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/imz-schedules/child- easyread.html

  2. CDC. ACIP Shared Clinical Decision-Making Recommendations. (January 7, 2025). Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/acip/vaccine- recommendations/shared-clinical-decision-making.html

  3. America’s Health Insurance Plans. AHIP Statement on Vaccine Coverage. (September 16, 2025).

  4. State of Alaska. School and Childcare Immunization Requirements. Packet available at: https://health.alaska.gov/media/fvchcabr/alaska- school-and-child-care-immunizations-requirements-packet.pdf (v7/23).

  5. Alaska Epidemiology Bulletin. 2024 Annual (January–December) Infectious Disease Report. No. 20, October 2, 2025.

  6. American Academy of Pediatrics. Recommended Child and Adolescent Immunization Schedule for Ages 18 Years or Younger. (February 5, 2026).

  7. American Academy of Family Physicians. Recommended Child and Adolescent Immunization Schedule for Ages 18 Years or Younger. (August 28, 2025).

  8. Alaska Department of Health. Access Your Vaccination Records. https://health.alaska.gov/en/services/vaccination-records/