SPOKANE — President Trump issued an executive order Monday that proposes big changes to current childhood vaccine guidelines.
If the CDC adopts Trump’s new order, the recommended number of vaccines would decrease from 18 to 11.
The administration believes the flu, hepatitis A and B, and COVID-19 are no longer diseases that children need to be protected against with vaccines.
The executive order also splits the combined measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine into three separate shots given at different times. Currently, the U.S. doesn’t have these three individual vaccines available.
The proposal also threatens states with legal action if they don’t allow for personal or religious exemptions to vaccinations within schools.
The West Coast Health Alliance, made up of several states including Washington, said they won’t be making any changes based on the new order and will continue to follow the American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines.
Washington’s Department of Health is concerned the president’s directive could cause fear and confusion across the nation.
“We’re very concerned that the confusion will cause more kids to not get the full protection that vaccines have to offer and the fewer kids that are up to date on vaccines, the more likely we are to have outbreaks of vaccine preventable diseases like measles,” said Dr. Tou Shen Kwan, chief science officer of the Department of Health.
Dr. Kwan has been a practicing pediatrician for nearly 30 years. He says if the CDC adopted these changes, it would pose a huge risk to the nation’s health, and there is scientific proof showing vaccines protect far more people than harm them.
Dr. Sarah D’Hulst, a pediatrician from MultiCare here in Spokane, said vaccines save lives and decrease the severity of vaccine preventable illnesses. She told us she and her colleagues know exactly where they stand.
“We will continue to support and follow evidence based medicine,” Dr. D’Hulst said.
Trump says his guidance aligns the U.S. with other advanced nations.
For any official change to occur, the CDC would need to adopt the proposal. The first step is to get approval from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practice.
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