President signs executive order to change childhood vaccine schedule

President Trump signed an executive order Aug. 10 revamping the federal government’s recommended childhood vaccine schedule. The order divides immunizations into three categories and recommends they should be administered at separate medical visits when feasible. Vaccines against 11 diseases, including measles, mumps and rubella, would be recommended for all children. Those for respiratory syncytial virus and hepatitis A and B, among others, would be recommended for certain high-risk groups or through shared clinical decision-making. The EO also says the combined MMR vaccine should be administered as three separate shots once those products become available. The order directs the Department of Health and Human Services to draft recommendations within 90 days on how to administer core childhood vaccines as single vaccines rather than combination products or doses, starting with the MMR vaccine. However, the order said HHS would guarantee continued availability of the combined vaccine.

Additionally, the order directs the Department of Justice to maximize parental choice over childhood vaccines, including by joining challenges to state laws that conflict with “parental authority, religious freedom, disability accommodations and equal protection under the law.” The EO also encourages states to review their vaccine regulations to align with the updated schedule, and it asks HHS to recommend ways to develop alternative vaccine ingredients to replace aluminum.