President Donald Trump is spearheading a major overhaul of current childhood vaccination mandates in an effort to give parents more freedom to choose which shots their children take, and when.
Trump signed an Executive Order announcing what the administration is calling the Gold Standard Childhood Vaccine Recommendations, saying that not only do the new recommendations align with other developed nations, but they also with common sense.
A memo on the order recommends children receive immunizations for 11 diseases, fewer than the 18 current Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines. It also ended recommendations that all minors receive the COVID-19 jab.
A Health and Human Services (HHS) scientific assessment compared the U.S. vaccine schedule to those of peer nations in Europe. It found that the American childhood vaccine schedule recommends many more vaccines than most western nation counterparts — sometimes close to double the number of shots.
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The memo recommends that parents should have five separate vaccine appointments, instead of children taking all of the vaccines at once.
“I think you’re going to see some amazing results [by] breaking it up,” Trump said in the Oval Office while announcing the order on Monday.
“It’s not just that you’re doing fewer vaccines or jabs, as they say, but you’re doing them in a series of visits to the doctor. Much smaller amounts.”
Trump has previously voiced opposition to appointments where babies and toddlers are given multiple vaccinations at one time.
The memo on Trump’s latest health-related executive action stresses flexibility for parents, urging them to “make individualized decisions for higher-risk children through shared clinical decision-making.”
The memo also recommends separating the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccines into separate shots, instead of taking all three vaccines at once, as is common. It also notes that the U.S. is in the minority of peer nations that mandates vaccinations in order for children to enroll in school.
Additionally, the order focuses on discriminatory practices based on vaccine status.
“In addition, this executive order directs the Attorney General to advance legal challenges against states that violate children’s rights to religious or medical vaccination exemptions,” Trump said.
“Parents can still choose to give their children all of the vaccinations if they wish, it’s up to the parents — we’re making recommendations that are strong – but it’s up to the parents if they wish and they will be covered by insurance,” he continued. “However, this updated recommendation finally aligns the United States with other advanced and developed nations around the world. More importantly, it aligns us with common sense and knowledge.”
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The order is part of Trump’s commitment to Make America Healthy Again (MAHA). Last year, the president, by executive order, launched the MAHA Commission, aimed at addressing the causes of what the administration says is an “escalating” health crises.
The commission was specifically directed to investigate childhood chronic diseases. The probe led to “a sweeping plan with more than 120 initiatives to reverse the failed policies that fueled America’s childhood chronic disease epidemic.”
The White House did not provide further comment when reached about the latest initiative.
