The World Health Organization (WHO) defended childhood vaccine schedules after President Trump issued an order to change the inoculation timeline.
Tarik Jasarevic, a spokesperson for the organization, said during a press briefing that the vaccine recommendations are “based on years of research across the world on how the immune system develops, when a person is most susceptible for a disease and how to keep protection strong.”
He added, “This is the advice we give to all countries, and we hope that all countries will use this best scientific evidence that we have, and we have to always stress that.”
President Trump’s order declared that his administration is “taking further action to reaffirm that it is the policy of the United States that the core childhood vaccine recommendations should be aligned with scientific evidence and best practices from peer, developed countries while preserving access to vaccines currently available to Americans.”
The vaccines recommended for all children include those for measles, mumps, rubella, diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, Haemophilus influenzae type B, pneumococcal disease, human papillomavirus, and varicella, the order says. Vaccines for certain high-risk groups include respiratory syncytial virus monoclonal antibodies, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, meningococcal B, meningococcal ACWY, and dengue.
American Academy of Pediatrics President Andrew Racine condemned Trump’s order. “Today’s executive order is not based on ‘gold-standard science.’ There is no new evidence to justify significant changes to childhood immunization guidance. Dozens of studies involving millions of people show there is no link between vaccines and autism, and yet federal leaders continue to promote this outdated, disproven idea to scare families,” he said.
He argued the executive order “will do nothing to support families of children with autism or advance understanding of the condition. The only purpose of this announcement is to sow confusion so that more people doubt the importance of vaccines. Delaying or skipping shots is risky, especially as measles continues to spread and children go back to school.”
