Trump signs bonkers order that cuts vaccines, promotes ones that don't exist

A newly signed executive order by President Donald Trump implements major, unilateral changes to federal vaccine guidelines for children, significantly cutting back on recommended immunizations.

The directive aims to reduce the schedule of childhood vaccines from eighteen down to eleven, while also instructing healthcare providers to space out the doses over a longer period and across multiple clinical visits. This policy shift is not grounded in contemporary scientific consensus or fresh clinical discoveries; instead, it relies on widely discredited assertions regarding the potential dangers of immunizations. Notably, the order revives debunked arguments connecting vaccines to developmental conditions like autism and suggests that administering several immunizations at once can compromise a child's immune system.

Furthermore, the executive directive mandates splitting the combined measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) shot into three distinct, individual immunizations. Medical professionals point out that these separate components are not presently manufactured or distributed in the country, meaning their introduction would necessitate years of costly development and rigorous safety trials. The administration's policy comes at a precarious moment for public health, as national vaccination coverage has already been declining. With only a handful of states maintaining the immunization levels required to prevent widespread outbreaks, the country is facing a sharp increase in active measles cases, threatening its long-standing status of having eliminated the disease.