President Donald Trump’s new childhood vaccine order has triggered a sharp response from doctors and health experts.
critics warn that splitting the MMR vaccine could mean more shots and more doctor visits While the administration says the move will give parents more choice.
What officials in the administration said
Vaccine safety experts at the CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics also agree the MMR shot is not responsible for recent increases in autism diagnoses. The executive order states that “the combined MMR vaccine should be administered in three separate single-disease shots once such products are domestically available and that, to the maximum extent feasible, all childhood immunizations should be administered at separate medical visits. Trump also spoke directly about the MMR vaccine at the signing event: “You have the MMR. We want it in three separate vaccinations, given at separate times. This is about freedom at the end of the day.
Trump said that for years, the US had recommended more childhood vaccines than other peer nations, with children in some cases receiving up to 72 vaccine doses.
The CDC says there’s “no published scientific evidence [that] shows any benefit in separating the combination MMR vaccine into three individual shots. It notes there can be a “very small risk” of febrile seizures and extremely rare cases of serious allergic reactions with the MMR vaccine, but that getting it “is much safer than getting measles, mumps, or rubella. US President Donald Trump on Monday signed an executive order stating that his administration would recognize “Gold Standard” recommendations for 11 core childhood vaccinations against serious diseases, along with the MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) vaccine, as per ANI. “Effective immediately, my administration is recognizing Gold Standard childhood vaccine recommendations for only 11 core vaccinations against the most serious and dangerous diseases, along with the MMR,” Trump said while signing the order in the Oval Office. He suggested the vaccine could be “quite lethal” when given all at once, comparing the volume to “a bottle of soda. He also said, “No parent should feel the pressure of immediately after their child is born, and a bunch of vaccines are pressured and pushed upon them. US Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr said the administration would work to ensure vaccine access while also strengthening safety monitoring. “We will preserve access to vaccines, strengthen safety monitoring, expand research, give doctors and parents better information, and restore informed consent and parental choice to their rightful place in American medicine,” he said, as per ANI. NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya said the move would restore autonomy for families while continuing to emphasize science in vaccine recommendations. “This restores a healthy relationship between public health and parents,” he said.
