NPR Adds Specific Details to Trump's Vaccine Order Claims

The article has been updated to include more specific information about the contents of the executive order signed by President Trump, which aims to change the childhood vaccine schedule. The order now explicitly states that it calls for reducing the number of childhood vaccines from 17 to 11 and breaking up the MMR shot into separate shots given over several visits to the doctor. Additionally, the article now quotes President Trump's statement about vaccines being 'pumped into children's bodies' and suggests that giving multiple vaccines at once could be problematic. These changes provide more context and details about the order, which is likely to be of interest to readers following the story.

Related Changes

Trump and RFK Jr. try again to upend vaccines for kids +613 -188
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− try again to upend vaccines for kids August 10, 20264:25 PM ET Heard on All Things Considered Rob Stein President Trump speaks before signing an executive order that calls for changing the childhood vaccine schedule.
+ try again to upend vaccines for kids Updated August 10, 20266:42 PM ET Originally published August 10, 20264:25 PM ET Heard on All Things Considered Rob Stein President Donald Trump speaks before signing an executive order that calls for changing the childhood vaccine schedule.
− Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images hide caption This is a developing story that will be updated. President Trump signed another executive order aimed at trying to upend the way U.S.
+ With him in the Oval Office, from left, are Dr.
+ Jay Bhattacharya, director of NIH; Jayme Franklin, a conservative activist; Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and Dr. Heidi Overton, deputy director of domestic policy for the White House. Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images hide caption President Trump signed another executive order aimed at trying to upend the way U.S.
children are vaccinated against dangerous infectious diseases.
− The new executive order, signed Monday afternoon in the Oval Office, calls for reducing the number of childhood vaccines recommended by the federal government.
+ The new executive order, signed Monday afternoon in the Oval Office, calls for reducing the number of childhood vaccines recommended by the federal government from 17 to 11.
− It also calls for breaking up the shot known as the MMR, which is now given as a single vaccination for measles, mumps, rubella and chickenpox.
+ The order tries to accomplish similar goals that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention enacted in January, a move which was later blocked by a judge. Health Federal judge halts RFK Jr.'s changes to children's vaccine policies Health Secretary Robert F.
− The order advises breaking it up into separate shots.
+ Kennedy Jr. has long questioned the safety and effectiveness of many childhood vaccines. Monday's order is also likely to be challenged in court.
− The order also directs the Justice Department to pressure states to reduce the number of vaccines required for school.
+ The order also calls for breaking up the shot known as the MMR, which is now given as a single vaccination for measles, mumps and rubella. The order advises giving it as separate shots over the course of several visits to the doctor.
+ Trump said "vats" of vaccines are pumped into children's bodies. "We're doing 20 percent of that at each visit," he said. "We'll let time elapse between each visit so the body can handle the massive amount of fluid being pumped in." Check out the NPR Politics Podcast for daily analysis of the biggest news out of Washington, D.C. The vaccines are not currently available that way in this country and it could take years for them to become available that way, public health experts say. Giving multiple vaccines at one time to children cuts down on the number of doctor's visits parents have to make in the busy early years of childhood. The order also argues against requiring certain shots be given before for school attendance. It directs the Justice Department to pressure states to reduce the number of vaccines required for school.
The moves will likely be challenged in court, as previous similar attempts to change the childhood vaccination schedule have been.
− At the signing ceremony, the president talked about vaccines needing to be studied in light of rising autism rates, a thoroughly studied and debunked theory.
+ At the signing ceremony, the president talked about vaccines needing to be studied in light of rising autism rates, a thoroughly researched and debunked theory.
− The news was welcomed by vaccine critics and denounced by many public health experts.
+ Health In South Carolina, measles shows how far apart neighbors can be on vaccines Anti-vaccine advocates celebrated the order.
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+ "I'm very happy with the change," said Brian Hooker, chief scientific officer at Children's Health Defense, a group Robert F. Kennedy Jr. worked with in the past. "We need to leave no stone unturned. Our children deserve nothing less." But mainstream health leaders denounced the order, saying the effectiveness and safety of vaccines has been proven beyond question. Dr. Andrew Racine, the president the American Academy of Pediatrics, said children's doctors will be braced for questions from parents, who will want to know has anything changed in the science. "And the answer to that is no. The science of vaccines and their efficacy has not changed," Racine says. Dr. Aaron Milstone, also working with the American Academy of Pediatrics, emphasized that the infections vaccines have largely vanquished can be deadly. "Why would we not give children a vaccine that is safe that prevents death?" Milstone said. "We had two healthy children die in the United States in the last year from measles virus. So we're suggesting that you continue to give children a vaccine that has decades of safety data." Sponsor Message Become an NPR sponsor