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Doctors warn Trump's vaccine changes could endanger US children
🇸🇬 Singapore /Health & Science

Doctors warn Trump's vaccine changes could endanger US children

From CNA · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources New plan
  • Doctors warn President Trump's overhaul of childhood vaccination recommendations could increase risks of preventable diseases.
  • The changes reduce the number of recommended vaccinations and suggest splitting the MMR vaccine into separate shots.
  • Experts caution the new policy could create logistical and financial challenges for parents and healthcare providers.

Doctors are raising alarms over President Donald Trump's administration's overhaul of childhood vaccination recommendations, warning that the changes could leave more children vulnerable to preventable diseases. The executive order, signed on August 10, calls for fewer childhood vaccinations, reducing the recommended immunizations against diseases from 18 to 11. It also backs splitting the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine into three separate shots and administering them during different appointments.

Some per cent of those (children) are going to end up in the intensive care unit, and some per cent of them are going to die.

— Andrew RacinePresident of the American Academy of Pediatrics, expressing concern about the potential consequences of reduced vaccinations.

This policy advances a goal of Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr., an activist who has promoted a debunked link between vaccines and autism. While Trump stated the changes would provide "gold-standard" protection and align the U.S. with peer nations recommending fewer shots, medical professionals are pushing back. They argue that fewer routine vaccinations could lead to an increase in serious illnesses from diseases that are largely preventable. Andrew Racine, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, expressed grave concern, stating that some children could end up in intensive care or die.

There’s nothing more terrifying for a family and nothing more tragic.

— Andrew RacinePresident of the American Academy of Pediatrics, describing the potential impact on families.

Concerns are particularly high regarding the proposed split of the MMR vaccine, which has been administered as a combined shot since the 1970s. Doctors emphasize that separating the MMR vaccine would necessitate more clinic visits. This could force parents to take additional time off work and increase the likelihood of children missing crucial vaccination appointments. Measles, a highly contagious disease, can lead to severe complications like pneumonia and life-threatening encephalitis. Steve Morrison, director of the Global Health Policy Center at CSIS, described the potential outcome as a "vaccine ecosystem that is in disarray."

A vaccine ecosystem that is in disarray, which had functioned very, very well for decades, but which is (now) in utter disarray.

— Steve MorrisonDirector of the Global Health Policy Center at CSIS, commenting on the potential state of the vaccination system.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by CNA in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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