Trump orders changes to child vaccination schedule, experts warn of dangers

U.S. President Donald Trump has issued an order to alter the nation's child vaccination schedule, a move that has alarmed medical experts. The directive aims to reduce the number of recommended vaccines for children from 18 diseases down to 11 and spread them over a longer period.

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The president's order is dangerous.

Leading medical professionals have voiced strong opposition to the president's decision. Andrew Racine, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, called the order "dangerous" and stated it lacks scientific backing. He warned that delaying or skipping vaccinations poses significant risks, especially with ongoing measles outbreaks and children returning to school. The U.S. has already recorded the highest number of measles cases in 35 years.

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Delaying or skipping vaccinations is risky, especially now as measles continues to spread and children return to school.

Adding to the concern, President Trump reiterated unsubstantiated claims linking vaccines to autism during a White House briefing. Global health organizations, including the World Health Organization (WHO), and numerous scientific studies have consistently found no connection between vaccines and autism. The White House stated Trump's intention was to increase parental choice.

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I believe the only thing today's announcement will do is create more uncertainty, fear, and confusion, none of which is needed.

Dr. Jan K. Carney, president of the American College of Physicians, criticized the order as part of a disturbing pattern by the administration to unilaterally change child vaccination recommendations without open, scientific evaluation. Republican Senator Bill Cassidy, a physician himself, also denounced the order as "wrong," asserting that the president lacks the expertise for such medical decisions and that vaccines are safe, effective, and do not cause autism.

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The president's order is part of a disturbing pattern by the administration where vaccination recommendations, especially for children, are sought to be changed unilaterally instead of resorting to the open and scientific evaluation on which the U.S. childhood vaccination program has been based for decades.