Trump makes controversial changes to vaccines as six jabs are no longer recommended for kids
United States President Donald Trump has signed an executive order calling for major changes to the US childhood vaccine schedule, including dropping six vaccines from the list recommended for all children and splitting the MMR jab into separate appointments.
The order, signed on Monday (10 August), reduces the number of vaccines recommended universally for children from 18 to 11.
The vaccines still recommended for all children include those protecting against measles, mumps, rubella, diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, Haemophilus influenzae type B, pneumococcal disease, HPV and chickenpox.
Trump also wants measles, mumps and rubella vaccines to be given separately, rather than as the combined MMR jab.
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"We want to have separate visits, separate times," Trump said.
Speaking at the Oval Office, the president also repeated a long-discredited claim linking vaccines with autism.
"Decades ago, children received only a small fraction of the vaccines required today," Trump said. "In those times, people were much healthier, and of course the high rates of autism now observed did not exist."
There is no established scientific link between vaccines and autism, with multiple studies having examined the claim, including a 2019 Danish study, cited by the BBC, involving 657,461 children, which found no evidence that the MMR vaccine causes or triggers autism.
Trump also suggested that giving the MMR vaccine as one shot could be dangerous, saying it could be 'quite lethal'.
When asked by a reporter for evidence supporting the claim, Trump said: "What I've heard is that there are some people that say it is that way."
US health officials say the MMR vaccine is generally safe, with serious side effects being rare.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says there is also 'no published scientific evidence that shows any benefit in separating the combination MMR vaccine into three individual shots'.
Experts have warned that splitting the vaccines could actually create more problems, as children would need additional appointments and could remain unprotected against diseases while waiting for their next jab.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has described Trump's recommendations as 'dangerous'.
"Delaying or skipping shots is risky, especially as measles continues to spread and children go back to school," AAP president Dr Andrew Racine said in a statement via Med Page Today.
The order is guidance rather than a nationwide mandate.
Individual US states decide which vaccines children need for school attendance, although the administration is encouraging states to review their own requirements.
Topics: Donald Trump, Politics, US News, Parenting, Health
Rhiannon Ingle