President Donald Trump signed an executive order reducing the list of federally recommended childhood vaccines to 11 and proposing the separation of the MMR vaccine into individual shots, prompting criticism and raising concerns over increasing measles cases.
President Donald Trump on Monday signed an executive order that would narrow the list of childhood vaccines the federal government recommends for all children and press officials to break up the combined measles, mumps and rubella injection into three separate shots given at different visits when available, according to the White House and Reuters.
The order recognises 11 vaccines as routine for all children: measles, mumps, rubella, diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, Hib, pneumococcal, HPV and varicella, the White House said. Hepatitis B, COVID-19 and influenza would shift into categories reserved for higher-risk children or cases where parents and doctors decide individually.
The move follows an earlier White House directive in May that asked the Department of Health and Human Services to compare US childhood immunisation policy with peer countries and review whether the American schedule should be pared back. That assessment said the United States recommends more childhood vaccines than any comparable nation and more than twice as many doses as some European countries, according to the White House.
Reuters reported that the new order also directs the attorney general to challenge state rules that restrict religious or medical exemptions. The news agency said health specialists and medical groups criticised the change, warning that splitting the MMR vaccine and discouraging combination shots could add cost, inconvenience and confusion without any scientific basis. Reuters also reported that the policy arrives as measles cases rise and vaccination rates fall, raising concern among public health officials about wider outbreaks.
The order is the latest sign that the administration is prepared to reshape federal vaccine guidance more aggressively, even though states still control school vaccination mandates and changes to federal schedules normally pass through the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention process, Reuters said.
Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical judgment, advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
