President Donald Trump has signed an executive order that aims to limit the number of childhood vaccines and recommends splitting the mumps, measles, and rubella (MMR) shots, citing concerns over their safety.
The order calls for reducing the number of childhood vaccines from 18 to 11, with the recommended shots including those for measles, mumps, rubella, diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, Haemophilus influenzae type B, pneumococcal disease, human papillomavirus, and varicella or chicken pox.
Childhood Vaccines Policy
Trump’s order serves as guidance, not a mandate, as vaccine requirements for school attendance are set at the state level, rather than by the federal government. The president has long expressed doubts about the safety of MMR vaccines, despite multiple studies finding no connection between the shots and autism.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that the MMR vaccine carries a small risk of febrile seizures for young children, but most people who get the vaccine do not have any serious problems with it. The agency also notes that there is no published scientific evidence to support separating the combination MMR vaccine into three individual shots.
Experts warn that delaying or skipping shots is risky, especially as measles continues to spread and children go back to school. Dr. Andrew Racine, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, called Trump’s executive order “dangerous” and not based on “gold-standard science”.
Reactions and Implications
Republican Senator Bill Cassidy, a physician, also criticized Trump’s executive order, stating that “the President does not have the expertise to make these changes” and that “vaccines are overwhelmingly safe” and “do not cause autism”.
The order has sparked concerns among health experts, who fear that it may lead to a decrease in vaccination rates and an increase in the spread of diseases like measles. As the debate over vaccine safety continues, the move is likely to have significant implications for public health policy in the US.
