World Health Organization against Donald Trump's executive order: "A danger to the public"
The storm surrounding the change in childhood vaccination policy in the United States has reached the World Health Organization. Following the executive order signed by US President Donald Trump, the organization defended the way vaccination schedules are determined and emphasized that existing recommendations are based on more than six decades of scientific research.
The storm surrounding the change in childhood vaccination policy in the United States has reached the World Health Organization (WHO). Following the executive order signed by US President Donald Trump, the organization defended the way vaccination schedules are determined and emphasized that existing recommendations are based on more than six decades of scientific research.
The response comes after Donald Trump signed an executive order instructing the US administration to change childhood vaccination recommendations and focus on 11 core vaccines. As part of the change, vaccines including hepatitis B, influenza, and COVID-19 will no longer be included as a routine blanket recommendation for all children, but will be given according to risk groups or individual decision-making.
"More than 60 years of research"
In the WHO, they emphasized that vaccination schedules are not determined solely by the number of vaccines a child receives. The recommendations are based on more than 60 years of research and are reviewed by experts, taking into account the age at which children are at the highest risk of infection and the stage at which their immune system can produce the necessary protection.
The organization also clarified that there are differences between vaccination programs in different countries, depending on disease patterns, local risks, and health systems. Therefore, the mere fact that fewer vaccines are given in a certain country does not necessarily mean that its vaccination schedule is suitable for another country.
MMR vaccine also in focus
Another change promoted by the order concerns the MMR vaccine, the combined vaccine against measles, mumps, and rubella. The order calls for allowing separate administration of the vaccines against the three diseases, instead of the combined vaccine currently in use. The move is drawing criticism among medical professionals in the United States, who warn that changing the recommendations without a new scientific basis could create confusion among parents and even lead to children not receiving vaccines against preventable diseases on time.
On the other hand, the Donald Trump administration presents the change as a move intended to readjust the American vaccination schedule and give parents and doctors greater flexibility in decision-making. The debate surrounding the order is expected to continue to spark discussion in the American health system, as the administration's new policy is now faced with a clear position from the WHO: existing vaccination schedules are the result of decades of research and scientific evaluation.
