Trump’s New Vaccine Order Changes Childhood Immunization Schedule
The number of recommended childhood vaccines has been lowered at the hands of a new executive order. Here is a closer look at the change and what it means for children going forward.
Diving Into the New Vaccination Guidance
President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday designed to change the way that the federal government approaches the standard childhood vaccination schedule. The latest guidance by the government recommends fewer immunizations for infants, flying in the face of the latest scientific evidence.
The major changes include reducing the overall number of vaccinations for young children in addition to dividing the current schedule into three categories. The order also advises separating the standard mumps, measles, and rubella (MMR) vaccine into three individual shots. This separation is in contrast to the widely accepted scientific evidence that the three shots should be administered together.
The White House also signaled that it will encourage states to change their specific vaccination schedule to align with the new federal guidelines. This could take away power at the state level, where officials have had authority to improve the vaccination rates specific to their area.
Speaking from the Oval Office alongside U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump said that “It’s not only that you’re doing fewer vaccines, or jabs, as they say, but you’re doing them in a series of visits to the doctor.” The president made a number of incorrect claims about immunizations when speaking to the media. This includes saying that the MMR shot can be "quite lethal," a claim that has no scientific backing.
Trump defended the changes by saying that children are being injected with more shots than their bodies can handle. When speaking about the changes to the recommendations, the president said that “Nothing bad can happen from what we’re doing."
Lawmakers Speak Out Against the Updated Guidance
The move sparked criticism from Democrats and Republicans alike. GOP Sen. Bill Cassidy, a doctor himself, posted on X that “This executive order is wrong. The President does not have the expertise to make these changes. Vaccines are overwhelmingly safe. Vaccines are effective. Vaccines DO NOT cause autism."
Cassidy made news last year when he was hesitant to confirm Kennedy to head up the HHS. Cassidy also said, “Breaking up vaccines will mean children have to get more shots to get the same protection, not fewer shots. It will increase hesitancy and make children less safe.”
What does the new order say? The policy details that the government still recommends that children should receive vaccinations for measles, mumps, rubella, diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, Hib, pneumococcal disease, HPV, and varicella (chicken pox).
One of the major changes is that now only high-risk populations are advised to receive vaccines against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), hepatitis A, hepatitis B, meningococcal B, meningococcal ACWY, and dengue. This is a sharp contrast to the current schedule that advises that children get vaccinated for most of these illnesses.
The Trump administration suggested that vaccinations be spread out over more medical visits in order to give parents more freedom with the "timing and frequency" of the shots. Trump said that he did not believe that it was safe to give so many shots at one time, noting that "Large amounts of vaccine, large amounts of — like vats — of vaccine are currently pumped into your child’s body,” comparing the amount of vaccine to “the size of a bottle of soda.”
There is no credible scientific evidence to support Trump's claims about the danger of administering shots together.
The guidance announced on Monday aligns with HHS's goal of reducing the number of recommended vaccines. The agency tried to reduce the schedule in January; however, swift challenges from several medical groups resulted in these efforts being overturned by a judge.
The Monday announcement came after months of Trump pressuring Kennedy to change the vaccination schedule. Both Trump and Kennedy have been on record about their beliefs that vaccines may cause autism, despite a vast body of scientific evidence over the years that proves otherwise.
Some GOP lawmakers have expressed concern that moving forward with this controversial vaccine policy could work against them in the upcoming midterms. Most Americans support the current immunization schedule. The Trump administration could alienate the important independent voters that they are trying to court for the November election.
Questions Arise About the Viability of the New Recommendations
The Trump administration did not elaborate on how the MMR will be separated. As of now, these three shots are not available separately in the U.S. An official with the White House said that HHS is working to make the three shots commercially available, detailing that Kennedy will release this plan within 90 days.
The new recommendations also do not address the safety or efficacy of separating the MMR into three shots. Several medical advocacy groups and health care professionals raised concerns about this plan on Monday. One of the chief concerns is the out-of-pocket costs for parents who do want their children to be fully vaccinated but will have to pay for separate medical visits.
Health care insurers must cover the cost of vaccines that are recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). Removing some of these vaccines from the schedule could make it more expensive for parents to fully immunize their children.
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