Doctors raise alarm over Trump’s push to scale back US childhood vaccinations

The Trump administration has proposed reducing the number of childhood vaccinations, moving away from the current recommendations of 18 diseases. This change comes as an executive order signed by President Donald Trump, who supports fewer shots for American children. The new guidelines recommend a split MMR vaccine, administering measles, mumps and rubella separately, as well as other vaccines separately.

Many doctors, however, warn this could lead to more children being hospitalized or dying from diseases that vaccines typically prevent. For example, Andrew Racine, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, stated that some percentage of these children could end up in intensive care units, with a portion potentially dying.

The MMR vaccine has been administered as a combined shot since the 1970s; splitting it would require more clinic visits, potentially forcing parents to take more time off work and increasing the risk of children missing their vaccination appointments. The upheaval could result in additional costs for parents, healthcare providers and drug manufacturers needing to restart production of previously unused vaccines.

This federal overhaul might lead to states adopting new guidelines, but states can still set vaccination requirements for school attendance. Public health experts worry this could send mixed messages worldwide, potentially fueling vaccine hesitancy.