On August 10, 2026, President Donald Trump signed an executive order aimed at reducing the number of vaccines recommended for children from 18 to 11. This order aligns with a proposal made earlier by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., which has faced legal challenges. The new recommendations suggest that vaccines for diseases such as Covid, rotavirus, and the flu be administered based on shared clinical decision-making between parents and doctors, while vaccines for measles, mumps, rubella, diphtheria, tetanus, and others will remain universally recommended.
The order also proposes that childhood immunizations occur at separate medical visits, potentially increasing the number of doctor appointments required for children. Additionally, it suggests separating the combined measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine into three individual shots, although no FDA-approved individual vaccines are currently available.
The executive order has received criticism from the medical community, with concerns that it may lead to confusion among parents regarding vaccination schedules. Dr. Andrew Racine, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, expressed that more visits could complicate the vaccination process for families.
Senator Bill Cassidy, a physician and chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, criticized the order, stating that parents should rely on pediatricians for vaccine guidance. Trump has previously raised concerns about the safety of the combined measles vaccine and the number of vaccinations children receive, claims that lack scientific support according to experts and the CDC.