Donald Trump is intervening by executive order in the vaccine protection of American children, even though leading pediatricians and now even a Republican doctor in the Senate are pushing back hard against his decision on medical grounds. The president is demanding longer intervals between vaccinations and wants the combined vaccine against measles, mumps and rubella to be replaced with separate vaccines against the three diseases. The White House presented no new scientific findings that would justify this intervention. Instead, Trump's spokesperson Kush Desai said the president was one of countless parents who had questions and concerns about the combined vaccine. Separate vaccines, he said, would give parents more options when it comes to timing and frequency and, according to the White House, ultimately even increase vaccination rates. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
But studies involving babies and toddlers in the United States show something different: Combination vaccines increase the likelihood that children will actually receive all recommended vaccinations by the age of two. The American Academy of Pediatrics is pushing back against Trump accordingly. Aaron Milstone, pediatric director of infection prevention at Johns Hopkins Health System, points to many years of scientific data demonstrating the safety of vaccines in children. The timing of vaccinations has also been thoroughly studied. Children are vaccinated early because the vaccines are safe at that age and because their bodies need to develop protection against infections in time. Trump is now reaching out from the White House and interfering with precisely this medically proven schedule. <\/p>\n\n\n\n