President Donald Trump signed an executive order Monday seeking greater vaccine flexibility and research, including fewer recommended childhood vaccinations. The order proposes splitting the MMR vaccine and administering immunizations at separate visits, while experts caution against potential increased disease risk.
The executive order signals a shift in the administration's approach to vaccine policy, potentially influencing state-level requirements and sparking debate among public health experts regarding vaccine safety and efficacy.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order Monday that seeks to increase vaccine flexibility and research, including fewer childhood vaccinations. The order proposes breaking the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine into three separate shots once available and recommends that all immunizations be given at separate medical visits. This initiative aims to alter current vaccination policies, with Trump having urged Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to intensify efforts to find links between vaccines and autism, despite scientific consensus to the contrary. Public health experts have expressed concern that spacing out vaccines could increase the risk of children contracting vaccine-preventable diseases. The order also tasks the US attorney general with challenging state laws that conflict with its guidance, though executive orders serve as guidance and do not have the force of law on the public. Some experts note that while the order may not have direct operational effects, it could increase political pressure on states to alter school vaccination requirements. The U.S. administration is recognizing childhood vaccine recommendations for only 11 core inoculations, with vaccinations for hepatitis B, COVID-19 and influenza stated as no longer recommended for all children.