Trump Mandates Childhood Vaccine Split and Limits After Discredited Autism Claims

Donald Trump has signed an executive order that significantly alters the US childhood immunisation schedule, mandating a reduction in the number of vaccines children receive and extending the period over which they are administered. This directive appears to institutionalise a medically discredited claim that links childhood vaccines to autism.

The order instructs federal health agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to revise the existing vaccine schedule. Specific details of the new schedule remain unclear, but the administration's public statements have consistently echoed the debunked theory of vaccine-induced autism, despite overwhelming scientific consensus to the contrary from global health organisations.

Critics argue that this policy could compromise public health by reducing vaccination rates, thereby increasing the risk of outbreaks of preventable diseases. The move is seen by public health experts as a capitulation to anti-vaccination narratives, potentially undermining decades of established medical science and public health initiatives designed to protect children from serious infectious illnesses.