President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday to unilaterally overhaul national childhood vaccination recommendations. The order calls for a reduction in the number of recommended vaccines for children, limiting the inoculation schedule to 11 immunizations. This move reaffirms an overhaul previously announced by HHS Secretary RFK Jr., a longtime vaccine skeptic.
The order recommends breaking up the combined measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine into three separate shots administered during separate visits. Additionally, the president has pushed to narrow which vaccines are administered and called for states to reconsider guidance regarding vaccine requirements for school. The directive also instructs the nation's health department to improve vaccine research.
During the signing, President Trump and RFK Jr. repeatedly referred to autism, although studies show no link between it and vaccines. The executive order attempts to override the authority of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the federal agency tasked with recommending vaccines rather than the White House.
This action follows previous attempts by the administration to change the vaccine schedule that were halted by a federal judge. Meanwhile, health experts warn that changing the inoculation schedule leaves more children vulnerable.