By Connie Ingram and Lesley Thompson

No parent or grandparent should ever face the terror of watching a child fight for their life against a disease that could have been prevented. Yet more families could be put in exactly this position because of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recent decision to change the childhood immunization schedule.

The new immunization schedule moves vaccines for six diseases from the list of recommended vaccines for all children to “shared clinical decision-making” between the health care provider and the parent or caregiver. This includes vaccines for rotavirus, COVID-19, the flu, hepatitis A, hepatitis B and meningococcal disease.

This will endanger children; we know the consequences all too well.

Jackson and Kale’s stories

I am Connie Ingram, Jackson’s mother. In 2017, my 19-year-old son, a healthy college freshman and competitive rower, came home for Thanksgiving break full of energy. A few days later, he began vomiting. By Thanksgiving morning, he was covered in a purplish rash and completely unresponsive. Within minutes, paramedics rushed him to the hospital. He was in septic shock with multiple organ failure.

Jackson had been vaccinated against meningitis but only received the MenACWY vaccine. There are two vaccines needed to be as protected as possible against meningococcal meningitis — MenACWY and MenB. The MenB vaccine was new, not routinely discussed, and not required by many colleges. His doctor had not told us about it. Jackson survived, but only after a long, grueling recovery.

I am Lesley Thompson, Kale’s grandmother. Our grandson was a happy, healthy two-year-old when he developed a fever. Initially diagnosed with the flu, a rash soon appeared, and a spinal tap confirmed bacterial meningitis. Kale was airlifted to Children’s Hospital, given a 2% chance to survive, and he did not make it.

Meningitis vaccines are typically recommended for adolescents and young adults in the U.S. Though Kale would likely not have been vaccinated today given his age, broader meningitis vaccination policies help limit the circulation of the disease. It reduces the risk of exposure for children like Kale who are too young or unable to be vaccinated. The new immunization schedule changes limits access to such vaccines, putting all Colorado children at higher risk.

A failed method amid rising cases

Meningococcal meningitis is fast, unpredictable, and devastating. It can kill within hours or leave survivors with lifelong disabilities: brain damage, hearing loss, learning difficulties, or amputations. Adolescents and young adults are especially vulnerable because of how they socialize. They share drinks, live in close quarters, and interact closely with friends. Parents cannot control that. Vaccination is one thing families can control.

Yet the CDC has made it harder for families, relying instead on “shared clinical decision-making.” This means health care providers must bring the topic up consistently within already packed routine well-visits, or parents must know what to ask. We know from years of experience this approach fails families by reducing vaccination rates.

Though the MenACWY vaccine was routinely recommended prior to Monday’s schedule change, the MenB vaccine has been under this shared clinical decision-making model since 2015, and the results are alarming: only 16% of eligible adolescents have completed the MenB series, compared with more than 60% for the MenACWY vaccine. Nearly half of pediatricians do not routinely discuss it, and almost 80% of parents do not know it exists. Every meningitis outbreak on college campuses since 2011 has been Meningitis B.

The CDC’s vaccine schedule change will extend these same failures to more diseases and will further erode protection against meningitis, putting more adolescents, families, and communities at risk.

U.S. meningococcal disease has surged since 2021 and now exceeds pre-pandemic levels. In 2024, 503 cases were reported — the highest number since 2013. Is this the right time to narrow vaccine recommendations?

We speak as a mother and a grandmother who have lived the consequences.

All the vaccines affected by this change are still available, covered by insurance, and accessible for free through the Vaccines for Children program for families without insurance. We urge everyone to educate themselves and advocate for their children and grandchildren. Visit the American Society for Meningitis Prevention at meningitisprevention.org for clear, evidence-based information on meningitis vaccination.

We also urge Colorado health care providers to always have the conversation about all vaccines with families, regardless of time constraints, because one missed discussion can mean a child’s death.

We have seen the cost of meningitis. We know the fear. We know the heartbreak. Every Colorado child deserves protection from devastating, preventable diseases.

Connie Ingram and Lesley Thompson are Colorado residents and advocates with the American Society for Meningitis Prevention.