Trump announces changes to childhood vaccine recommendations, sets 11 core vaccinations as ‘Gold Standard’

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump on Monday (local time) signed an executive order, saying his administration would recognise “Gold Standard” recommendations for 11 core vaccinations against serious and dangerous diseases, along with the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine.

Trump said that for years, the US had recommended more childhood vaccines than other peer nations, with children in some cases receiving up to 72 vaccine doses.

“Effective immediately, my administration is recognising Gold Standard childhood vaccine recommendations for only 11 core vaccinations against the most serious and dangerous diseases, along with the MMR,” Trump said, while signing an executive order in the Oval Office, adding that the MMR vaccine should be administered as three separate vaccinations at different times.

“No parent should feel the pressure of immediately after their child is born, and a bunch of vaccines are pressured and pushed upon them. This is about freedom at the end of the day,” he added.

President Trump on new childhood vaccination guidelines. pic.twitter.com/B4XxPBwjjB

— CSPAN (@cspan) August 10, 2026

US Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr said the administration would ensure vaccine access while strengthening safety monitoring, research, and parental choice in healthcare decisions. “We will preserve access to vaccines, strengthen safety monitoring, expand research, give doctors and parents better information, and restore informed consent and parental choice to their rightful place in American medicine,” he said.

National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Jay Bhattacharya said the move would restore the autonomy of families and parents to make decisions for their children while continuing to emphasise the role of science in vaccine recommendations. “This restores a healthy relationship between public health and parents,” Bhattacharya said.

White House adviser Stephen Miller praised the decision, calling it a step that would restore patient and parental choice in medical decisions. “This is an action that ensures the dignity of patients, the dignity of parents. It restores choice and says we are going to let the parent and doctor make a sound medical decision,” Miller said.

Measles, a highly contagious airborne virus, can infect up to nine out of ten unvaccinated individuals exposed to it. While symptoms typically resolve within weeks in most cases, the disease poses serious risks, especially to young children, potentially leading to severe complications such as ear infections, pneumonia, lung inflammation, or encephalitis, a brain swelling that may result in long-term issues including seizures and memory impairment.

The only effective prevention against measles is vaccination, commonly delivered through the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) combination vaccine. Health authorities recommend the first dose for children before 15 months of age, with the second dose administered before age six.

Although the MMR vaccine is widely regarded as safe and provides lifelong protection, vaccination coverage has declined in some countries, including the United States, partly due to misinformation and unfounded claims.

In the US, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr has previously stated that the vaccine “wanes very quickly” and suggested associated health risks, assertions contradicted by experts and agencies like the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which affirm that the vaccine is far safer than contracting measles itself. (ANI)