President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday calling for childhood vaccines to be spaced out over a longer schedule.
He signed the order as millions of children returned to school after summer break, with the United States facing its worst measles epidemic in 35 years. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr, known for his opposition to vaccines, has pushed for a broad review of immunizations since taking office, including some used for decades.
Trump repeats autism claim
Presenting the order, Trump repeatedly suggested a link between vaccines and autism, despite the lack of scientific evidence for such a connection. He said that decades ago children received only a small fraction of the vaccines required today, and that people were much healthier then, adding that the high autism rate seen today did not exist. He acknowledged, however, that he did not know what causes autism.
What the order recommends
The order recommends separating the combined measles, rubella and mumps vaccine into individual shots, and suggests delaying the hepatitis B vaccine until adolescence.
Andrew Racine, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said during a call with reporters that developing separate, federally approved vaccines would take more than a decade. Fellow AAP member Aaron M. Milstone said the group recommends continuing to give children a vaccine whose safety is backed by decades of data.
The federal government has no direct authority over vaccine decisions, and states can require them for students attending school, making Trump's move more a recommendation than an order. Kennedy has also changed the pediatric vaccination schedule and cut funding for new vaccine development, drawing sharp criticism from the medical and scientific community.
