Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday calling for a reduction in the number of recommended childhood vaccines from 18 to 11. Also recommending that the combined mumps, measles, and rubella shot be split into three separate injections given across multiple doctor visits.
Standing in the Oval Office, Trump invoked the long-debunked claim that vaccines are linked to autism.
“Decades ago, children received only a small fraction of the vaccines required today,” he said.
“In those times, people were much healthier and of course the high rates of autism now observed did not exist.”
When pressed by a reporter for evidence supporting his claim that the MMR vaccine could be “quite lethal” if given at once, Trump replied:
“What I’ve heard is that there are some people that say it is that way.”
Research
Multiple peer-reviewed studies have found no connection between the MMR vaccine and autism. A 2019 Danish study covering 657,461 children concluded the data did not support any link between the vaccine and autism. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that “most people who get MMR vaccine do not have any serious problems with it,” and that vaccination is significantly safer than contracting measles, mumps, or rubella.
The CDC also says there is “no published scientific evidence that shows any benefit in separating the combination MMR vaccine into three individual shots.”
Experts warn that splitting the MMR into separate doses creates a window during which children are unprotected and more likely to miss follow-up appointments. Trump’s order serves as guidance rather than a federal mandate, since vaccination requirements for school attendance are set at the state level. But medical professionals fear the signal it sends to parents will have real consequences.
The American Academy of Pediatrics called the order “dangerous” and not based on “gold-standard science.” Its president, Dr Andrew Racine, said:
“Delaying or skipping shots is risky, especially as measles continues to spread and children go back to school.”
Republican Senator Bill Cassidy, a physician who cast the deciding vote to confirm Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, broke sharply with the president on Monday.
“The President does not have the expertise to make these changes,” Cassidy wrote on X.
“Vaccines are overwhelmingly safe. Vaccines are effective. Vaccines DO NOT cause autism.”
Kennedy, who has spent years casting doubt on vaccine safety, said the changes were about giving parents choice rather than restricting access. During a CNN interview last week, he insisted he had “never questioned the efficacy of the MMR vaccine.”
The order also calls for the development of alternatives to the aluminium salts used in some vaccines. This comes despite the AAP noting that studies have found no significant health risks associated with the small amounts currently used.
