Donald Trump has announced a review of the US childhood vaccination schedule, proposing fewer vaccines for children and aligning US practices with other developed nations, sparking controversy over immunisation policies.
Donald Trump has ordered a further review of the United States childhood vaccination schedule and signalled that he wants fewer shots recommended for children, reviving a long-running political and medical dispute over immunisation policy.
According to the White House, the latest move builds on a presidential memorandum Trump signed in December 2025 and an executive order issued in May 2026 that directed health officials to compare US guidance with that of other developed countries. The administration said its review found that America recommends more childhood vaccines than peer nations, and in some cases more than twice as many doses as some European countries.
Trump said at the White House on Monday that he wants the combined measles, mumps and rubella vaccine split into separate injections spread over a year to 18 months. He also argued that children decades ago received far fewer vaccines and were healthier, while linking today’s immunisation levels to higher autism rates. That claim has been repeatedly rejected by scientists, who have found no evidence that vaccines cause autism.
Under the plan described by Trump, the list of vaccines recommended for all children would be cut from 18 to 11. The remaining list would include protection against measles, mumps, rubella, diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, polio, haemophilus influenzae type b, pneumococcal disease, human papillomavirus and chickenpox. Vaccines for respiratory syncytial virus, influenza, COVID-19, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, rotavirus and meningococcal disease would no longer be considered necessary by the president.
The announcement reflects the position of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr, who has long argued that childhood vaccination schedules should be reduced. Public health experts, by contrast, warn that scaling back routine immunisation would leave children more exposed to diseases that are preventable through vaccination. The White House has said the aim is to bring US practice into line with “best practices” in other developed countries, but the administration has not offered evidence that lower vaccine coverage would improve child health.
Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical judgment, advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
