Washington — President donald trump on friday gave his approval to a january department of health and human services study calling for Reducing the number of vaccinations Recommended for every American child.
An executive order from Trump directs federal agencies to align their policies behind the study, which recommended comprehensive, long-term reform It was called for by Secretary of Health Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The study found that the United States recommends childhood vaccines more than many peer countries.
The Trump administration had previously moved to narrow the number of recommended childhood vaccines in response to the report, but the move was… It was blocked by a federal judge In Massachusetts. Management is Appeal the decision.
The study recommends vaccinating all children against 11 diseases. Many other medicines will only be recommended for high-risk groups or when doctors recommend them in so-called ‘shared decision making’. This includes vaccines for influenza, rotavirus, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, some forms of meningitis and respiratory syncytial virus.
Trump’s order adds weight behind the study at a time when the administration appeared to be trying to shift focus away from Kennedy’s more controversial vaccine policies and toward more popular topics such as Healthy eating.
The order directs the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to review the study and “take any appropriate steps” to update vaccine recommendations. She says the CDC should “provide maximum flexibility to parents and doctors” and direct agencies to ensure that all procedures, regulations and funding are consistent with the study.
The order adds that any changes must ensure Americans maintain their current ability to access vaccines.
States, not the federal government, have the authority to require vaccinations for school children. While CDC requirements often influence those state regulations, some states have begun creating their own regulations Special alliances To counter the Trump administration’s directives on vaccines.
Trump directed the Department of Health to conduct the study in December.
Kennedy is a long-time anti-vaccine activist and has sought ways to infuse his skepticism about vaccines into national guidance. Last year, he announced that the CDC would do so No longer recommended COVID-19 vaccines for healthy children and pregnant women, a move that raises questions from public health experts who haven’t seen any new data to justify the change.
Last June, Trump dismissed and later appointed a 17-member vaccine advisory committee to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Many of his own substitutesincluding many vaccine skeptics.
The January report found that vaccine recommendations for American children have increased in recent decades. He also highlighted countries that do not require vaccines for school enrollment.