The Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology and the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America issued a joint statement blasting President Trump's executive order, which would cut the childhood immunization schedule from 17 shots to 11 and split the MMR vaccine into three separate shots. Merck told Reuters that splitting MMR could take up to a decade even on an expedited path. Measles cases have approached 2,500 nationally, the worst count in 35 years, with Pennsylvania now the hot spot.
The American Academy of Pediatrics, American Medical Association, and American College of Physicians all said there is no new evidence justifying the change, and warned of confusion, added costs, and more doctor visits for families. The order also leans on states to expand religious and parental-autonomy exemptions to school vaccine mandates. The White House says the order will increase trust in vaccines; the medical establishment says it will do the opposite.
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