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US President Donald Trump has signed a directive calling for fewer routine childhood vaccines and recommending that the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccines be administered separately, as the United States faces its worst measles outbreak in 35 years.
Trump said Monday (10 August ) that children today receive far more vaccines than they did several decades ago, claiming that people were healthier at the time and that autism rates were not as high.
Trump has repeatedly questioned the safety of the MMR vaccine. However, extensive scientific research has found no evidence of a link between MMR vaccination and autism.
The directive recommends reducing the number of vaccines included in the childhood immunisation schedule from the 18 currently recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) to 11.
The directive serves as guidance rather than a mandatory requirement. Vaccination requirements for school attendance are largely determined by individual states rather than the federal government.
Speaking at the Oval Office, Trump said his administration was endorsing a schedule of 11 vaccines targeting what he described as the most serious and dangerous diseases affecting children.
The recommended vaccines cover measles, mumps, rubella, diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, polio, Haemophilus influenzae type B, pneumococcal disease, human papillomavirus (HPV) and varicella, or chickenpox.
“We’re cutting them down,” Trump said, arguing that the change would reduce the number of injections children receive.
Trump also suggested that administering the MMR vaccines together could be “very dangerous”, comparing the combined vaccine to pouring a bottle of soda into a child.
When a reporter asked him to provide evidence for the claim, Trump responded that he had heard some people say it was the case.
Health experts and major medical organisations have repeatedly maintained that the MMR vaccine is safe and effective, while scientific studies have found no credible evidence that it causes autism.