Confused about which winter jabs you actually need? America's top doctors have just published their own cheat sheet — and they're not holding back.

In a pretty extraordinary move, a coalition of America's biggest medical groups has decided to write its own vaccine rulebook.

The group — which includes the American Medical Association (AMA) and the American Academy of Pediatrics — published fresh guidance on Thursday for flu, COVID-19 and RSV, saying they wanted to cut through what they called "confusion and chaos".

Normally, this is the bread and butter of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and its advisory panel, the ACIP, which has been setting the US immunisation schedule since 1964. For decades, Americans have looked to the CDC for that annual nudge to get their flu jab.

But things have changed.

Why are doctors going it alone?

Since last year, the Trump administration has overhauled federal vaccine policy. Under Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr — a long-time vaccine sceptic — Washington has rolled back several longstanding recommendations, including the hepatitis B jab for newborns and routine COVID boosters for everyone over six months old.

The medical associations have openly opposed the shift, saying it runs counter to scientific consensus. A federal judge agreed in part, suspending many of the measures in March after ruling the government had disregarded science-based processes — a ruling that has, in turn, left the CDC's expert panel in limbo.

The result? This year, Washington has only re-issued last year's flu advice. So, the doctors stepped in.

“The latest high-quality scientific evidence found that these immunisations continue to provide meaningful protection against severe illness, hospitalisation and death,” the coalition said in a statement.

AMA president-elect Dr Sandra Fryhofer told a press conference: “Patients need and deserve vaccine recommendations that are clear, credible, and based on the best available scientific evidence, so they can make informed vaccine decisions for themselves and for their families.” She added that their independent review has been published online so the public has guidance “even while the federal process is in flux.”

So, what are they actually recommending?

The guidance is tailored by age and risk, including pregnancy — much like the old CDC approach:

* Flu: Annual jab for everyone aged six months and older.

* COVID-19: Updated vaccines for healthy adults, young children and pregnant women.

* RSV: Immunisations for older adults, pregnant women and babies under eight months.

For context, RSV vaccines are still relatively new — the first ones for older adults were only approved by the FDA in 2023 — while annual flu jabs have been recommended in the US since the 1960s.

How bad was last winter?

The numbers, drawn from CDC estimates for the 2025-2026 respiratory season, explain why doctors are so keen for people to roll up their sleeves:

Influenza was the biggest hitter: 32 million to 52 million cases, 390,000 hospitalisations and 24,000 deaths.

COVID-19 caused 4.6 million to 12.9 million cases, with 140,000 to 240,000 hospitalisations and between 15,000 and 42,000 deaths.

RSV led to 2.8 million to 5.8 million GP visits, 170,000 to 340,000 hospitalisations and up to 25,000 deaths.

The good news is that the burden of both flu and COVID was actually down compared with the 2024-2025 season, while RSV stayed roughly flat — a sign, public health experts say, that high immunisation rates and improved natural immunity are helping, but not a reason to get complacent.

The coalition says no new safety concerns have emerged in recent studies.

This is a developing story. For the full guidance and source documents, visit cbinews.tv.

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