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Long Beach Health Officials Stand by Childhood Vaccine Schedule
By Staff Writer
Published on Thu, Jan 8, 2026
Long Beach’s Department of Health and Human Services is urging parents to continue vaccinating their children according to the schedule recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics, which is also followed by the West Coast Health Alliance and the California Department of Public Health.
Local officials say recent changes to federal guidance suggesting fewer routinely recommended childhood vaccines do not reflect new scientific evidence and were made without broad input from pediatric and public health experts. As a result, Long Beach will continue following the vaccine schedule that local doctors and families have long relied on.
The recommended schedule is based on decades of scientific research, real-world safety monitoring and data. It is designed to protect children when they are most vulnerable to serious illness, while working safely with their developing immune systems. Following this schedule helps prevent outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases that can lead to hospitalizations, missed school days and parents missing work to care for sick children.
Local health leaders warn that sudden changes to vaccine guidance create confusion and barriers for families and health care providers, potentially increasing the risk of preventable disease outbreaks.
Families with questions about vaccines are encouraged to speak directly with their health care provider. Information about local immunization services is available at longbeach.gov/immunizations.
