Key facts
- President Donald Trump signed an executive order on childhood vaccine recommendations.
- The order recommends aligning with a study for 11 core childhood vaccines, excluding flu and hepatitis B for most.
- The order suggests separating the MMR vaccine into three single-disease shots.
- Public health experts raised concerns about potential risks of spacing out vaccine appointments.
- The White House is reportedly exploring a link between vaccines and autism.
- Trump made several claims about vaccine quantities and safety that experts dispute.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday directing federal agencies to align with a study recommending 11 core childhood vaccines, excluding flu and hepatitis B for most children. The order also suggests separating the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine into three separate single-disease shots and administering childhood vaccines at separate appointments whenever possible.
During the signing, Trump repeated several claims about vaccines and their relationship to autism that public health experts dispute. He stated that the administration was requiring "72 jabs" for children, which experts clarified was misleading, with the number of injections closer to three dozen when excluding annual flu and COVID-19 shots. Trump also suggested the combination MMR vaccine was potentially lethal, while experts affirmed its safety and effectiveness, noting that separate single-disease vaccines for measles, mumps, and rubella are not available in the U.S.
Public health experts expressed concern that spacing out vaccine appointments could increase the risk of children contracting vaccine-preventable diseases before completing their immunization schedule. They emphasized that childhood vaccines have been rigorously studied for decades and are proven safe and effective. The White House is reportedly also drafting an executive order exploring a disproven link between vaccines and autism. The World Health Organization defended its science-based vaccine recommendation process following Trump's order.