US President Donald Trump signed a new executive order on Monday, August 10, 2026, titled "Delivering Gold Standard Childhood Vaccine Recommendations for Americans." The order reduces the current recommendation of 18 vaccines for children down to 11, aligning almost exactly with World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines.
The WHO recommends 12 essential vaccines for all nations, but wealthy countries often offer more. Germany, for instance, recommends 14 vaccines in a child's first two years. However, the Trump regime's move marks a significant shift in US public health policy, potentially leaving children vulnerable to diseases like hepatitis B, rotavirus, and influenza.
The executive order creates three vaccine categories. The first includes universally recommended shots: measles, mumps, rubella, diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, Haemophilus influenzae type b, pneumococcal disease, human papillomavirus, and varicella. Removed from this baseline are vaccines for hepatitis B, rotavirus, influenza, and RSV.
The second category targets high-risk groups: RSV monoclonal antibodies, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, meningococcal B, meningococcal ACWY, and dengue. The third category involves vaccines given based on shared clinical decision-making, including hepatitis A, hepatitis B, rotavirus, meningococcal disease, influenza, and COVID-19.
The order also recommends splitting the combined MMR vaccine into separate shots, reflecting long-held claims by the Trump regime that MMR causes autism. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) refutes this, stating, "The CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics agree that MMR vaccine is not responsible for recent increases in the number of children with autism."
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has similarly pushed anti-vaccine rhetoric, allegedly claiming that Tylenol causes autism during pregnancy—a claim unsupported by scientific evidence. Kennedy also suggested allowing bird flu to spread through poultry, resulting in over 150 million infected birds and detection of the virus in raw milk.
Critics warn that reducing vaccine recommendations could lead to confusion and rising infection rates. Andrew Racine of the American Academy of Pediatrics said the order is "not based on 'gold-standard science. There is no new evidence to justify significant changes to childhood immunization guidance." The move is likely to exacerbate public health challenges, especially amid recent measles outbreaks linked to vaccine skepticism.
Source: www.dw.com