WASHINGTON, D.C. – A new White House Executive Order which calls for reducing the number of vaccinations that kids receive is getting some push back from doctors. Medical experts said there’s no evidence the combination of the vaccines the administration is referring to are dangerous.
Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy (R- LA), a doctor, is criticizing President Trump’s EO in which it calls for changes in childhood vaccine recommendations. The EO suggests that childhood shots for the measles, mumps and rubella or MMR vaccine, should be split into three different single-disease shots and should be spaced out into separate medical visits.
The Republican Senator shared this on X: “I’m a doctor. This executive order is wrong. The President does not have the expertise to make these changes. Vaccines are overwhelmingly safe. Vaccines are effective. Vaccines do not cause autism. Breaking up vaccines will mean children have to get more shots to get the same protection, not fewer shots. It will increase hesitancy and make children less safe.”
“There’s nothing that we lose with this,” said Trump during the EO signing on Monday. “If the worst thing that would happen would be, nothing happens. We’re not going to lose anything. At the same time, we could gain tremendous- we could save hundreds of thousands of lives, millions of lives.”
Public health experts have shared concerns that spacing out shots can lead to an increased risk that children become infected with a vaccine preventable disease before returning for another visit. The American Medical Association did not address the President’s EO directly but on the same day that EO was signed, the AMA said the US is experiencing the largest measles resurgence in decades. The AMA said the MMR vaccine has protected kids and adults for decades and there’s scientific evidence supporting the vaccine’s safety and effectiveness.
The President also claimed the number or timing of vaccines could play a part in autism spectrum disorder medical experts said studies and scientific consensus have concluded that there is no link.
