U.S. President Donald Trump has issued an executive order aiming to reduce childhood vaccinations by streamlining the vaccination schedule to include only 11 immunizations. Trump believes this approach will offer top-notch protection to American children and bring the country in line with other nations that advocate for fewer vaccine doses.
The directive supports the objectives of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an advocate against vaccines, who has propagated a debunked theory linking vaccines to autism. The order proposes dividing the childhood MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) vaccine into three separate shots administered during distinct medical visits.
Earlier, Kennedy had trimmed the U.S. immunization schedule by eliminating vaccines for six out of 17 diseases; however, this move was halted by a federal court ruling. The current order specifies that the federal government will only endorse the remaining 11 vaccinations.
While the order suggests revised vaccine recommendations, it clarifies that individual states, not the federal government, hold the authority to mandate vaccinations for school children. States with existing school vaccine mandates are encouraged to consider aligning their laws with the administration’s preferred schedule, as per a White House statement.
Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt, a Republican, lauds the order for enhancing clarity and transparency in vaccine recommendations. Conversely, Democratic governors J.B. Pritzker of Illinois and Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania have criticized the directive, with Pritzker expressing concerns about the misinformation spread regarding measles.
The executive order instructs the Justice Department to challenge state vaccination laws by authorizing the attorney general to litigate against state laws that allegedly impede parental rights, religious freedom, disability accommodations, and equal protection, including regulations on religious and medical exemptions from immunization mandates.
Medical associations, public health experts, and vaccine manufacturers have also voiced opposition to the order. Dr. Aaron Milstone from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Committee on Infectious Diseases warns that conflicting messages could lead to parental confusion and potential delays in vaccination.
Merck, a pharmaceutical company, has highlighted that there is no scientific evidence supporting the benefit of splitting the MMR shot into three components. Dr. Elizabeth Mack, a pediatric critical care physician, questions the feasibility of the recommendation due to the unavailability of single-antigen measles, mumps, or rubella vaccines in the U.S.
Critics, including Republican Senator Bill Cassidy, a physician who chairs the Senate health committee, have denounced the order. Cassidy emphasized that the president lacks the expertise to make such alterations to vaccination guidelines.
In response to criticisms, the World Health Organization defended the evidence-based approach used to establish childhood immunization schedules, emphasizing the extensive research backing vaccination recommendations. Trump, Kennedy, and other White House officials assert that under the new schedule, American children would receive significantly fewer vaccinations compared to the previously recommended 72 injections.
Experts in the field of vaccines stress that the 72-injection figure is misleading, as it includes combination shots like MMR counted as multiple injections. They also note that the assumption of annual flu and COVID-19 doses contributes to the inflated count.
Dr. Andrew Racine, President of the AAP, criticized plans to revisit the link between vaccines and autism, asserting that numerous well-designed studies have consistently found no such association. Dr. Alycia Halladay, Chief Science Officer at the Autism Science Foundation, emphasized that the issue lies in some individuals choosing to disregard scientific evidence that contradicts their beliefs.
