What Next: TBD | Tech, power, and the future · Slate Podcasts

How and Why to Vaccinate Now

January 16, 2026·35 min·3 clips
The CDC stopped recommending RSV, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and meningococcal vaccines for all children, calling it 'zero logic.'
Host Lizzie O'Leary interviews pediatrician Dr. Lauren Hughes about recent CDC changes to the childhood vaccine schedule, reducing recommended shots from 17 to 11. They discuss the medical and policy implications, including risks of disease resurgence, insurance coverage, and how to communicate with vaccine-hesitant parents.

As heard by us

A grounded look at how shifting vaccine guidance lands in pediatric practice.

What Next: TBD uses a pediatrician’s concern to pose a blunt, timely question: what happens when the public health guidance families leaned on starts to feel unstable?

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

Want the plainest read on why families are moving vaccines up now?

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →
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