A Major Shift in Federal Vaccine Policy
President Donald Trump signed an executive order this week targeting the federal childhood vaccination schedule. The move seeks to implement what the administration calls "Gold Standard" recommendations, which aim to limit the number of childhood vaccines recommended for all children to 11, while retaining coverage for measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR).
The administration’s stated goal is to provide parents with greater flexibility. A central component of the order is the directive to administer the MMR vaccine as three separate, single-disease shots once they are domestically available. Furthermore, the order encourages that, where feasible, childhood immunizations be spaced out across separate medical visits.
The Role of the HHS and State Authority
The executive order follows a scientific assessment conducted by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which was tasked with aligning U.S. practices with those of other developed nations. Under the order, the CDC and its Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) are directed to review these findings and consider updates to the national vaccine schedule.
- Limits universal childhood vaccine recommendations to 11 diseases.
- Requires the MMR vaccine to be split into three separate doses.
- Promotes spacing out vaccinations into individual medical visits.
- Directs the CDC to re-evaluate the federal vaccine schedule based on the new HHS assessment.
It is important to note that while the federal government sets these recommendations, the authority to mandate vaccines for school attendance remains under the jurisdiction of individual states. The administration's order includes language advising states to consider updating their local laws to reflect these new federal recommendations.
The executive order states that 'the combined MMR vaccine should be administered in three separate single-disease shots once such products are domestically available.'
— Executive Order Text