Doctors say President Donald Trump鈥檚 on vaccines is misguided and likely to stoke fear and confusion among parents at a time when , immunization rates are falling and children are heading back to school.
鈥淢any families are finishing up that back-to-school checklist, and among those things is the medical checkup and assuring that their kids have their vaccines,鈥� Michigan pediatrician Dr. Molly O鈥橲hea said. 鈥淭o put into question the safety or efficacy of these vaccines right now is really unfortunate and ill-conceived.鈥�
The order, signed Monday, advocates separating the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine into three different single-disease shots and giving all childhood immunizations at separate appointments when possible. It also includes several changes to the childhood vaccine schedule already attempted by Trump鈥檚 health department but blocked by a federal judge. The department is run by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who helped lead the anti-vaccine movement for years.
Trump repeatedly suggested the number or timing of vaccines could play a role in rising rates of autism spectrum disorder, even though decades of studies have firmly concluded . He also strongly suggested that the MMR vaccine could be harmful or even deadly.
Dr. Paul Offit, a Children鈥檚 Hospital of Philadelphia vaccine researcher and former government adviser, said the recommendations by Trump and Kennedy 鈥渁re just ,鈥� and it鈥檚 irresponsible to cast doubt on a vaccine that protects against measles when the nation is facing its biggest epidemic in more than 30 years.
鈥淭he harm that it will cause is 鈥� to induce chaos and confusion into the system, so people aren鈥檛 sure what they鈥檙e supposed to do,鈥� he said.
Trump鈥檚 order evokes fears
At one point before signing his executive order, Trump used the word 鈥渓ethal鈥� when talking about the current MMR vaccine, saying: 鈥淭ogether there could be a possibility they are quite lethal and separately, it looks like they are not at all lethal but just very effective.鈥�
Doctors strongly rejected this characterization, saying the current combination vaccine has gone through rigorous studies and years of safety tracking 鈥� like other childhood vaccines 鈥� and has been shown to be very safe. The diseases they protect against are , they said.
鈥淭he suggestion that separating the measles, mumps and rubella vaccines one from another has value is incorrect in both science and in immune response,鈥� O鈥橲hea said. 鈥淵ou actually get a better immune response giving them together. There鈥檚 no value in separating them.鈥�
There are currently no separate vaccines for children against these diseases in the U.S., but Trump’s order directs the health department to present a plan to offer them. Trump spokesperson Kush Desai has said that would give parents more options on timing and frequency, ultimately increasing vaccine uptake.
Doctors lamented that Trump revived debunked theories about vaccines and autism. Autism diagnoses have been rising for decades, with finding that an estimated in the U.S. have autism spectrum disorder. Scientists say that鈥檚 in part because the definition has broadened with expanded understanding of its of traits and symptoms. There鈥檚 no single cause, they say, and genetic and environmental factors can play a role.
Dr. Andrew Racine, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said the potential link between childhood vaccines and autism has been studied in dozens of well-designed studies around the globe and there is 鈥渦nequivocally鈥� no link.
The fact Trump raised the issue, O鈥橲hea said, 鈥渋s really misguided and unfair to families.鈥�
Competing vaccine schedules raise confusion
Trump鈥檚 comments and his order also cause confusion about which vaccines to give children and when, doctors said.
In the first year of Trump鈥檚 term, Kennedy set out to overhaul immunization guidance, firing a 17-member and installing replacements who made the halted by a federal judge. Those recommendations call for injections against 11 diseases, with additional vaccines separately categorized for at-risk children or as available through 鈥渟hared decision-making鈥� with a doctor.
The pediatrics academy, meanwhile, continued to recommend vaccines to protect against 18 diseases in its 2026 immunization schedule. O鈥橲hea said that schedule 鈥渉as been very well designed, carefully constructed and thoughtfully put together to provide safety and protection just as the baby or young child鈥檚 immune system is ready to accept it.鈥�
Doctors said insurance coverage shouldn鈥檛 be an issue. Medicaid and CHIP continue to cover the vaccines recommended before the current Trump administration took office. Through 2027, private health insurance plans generally will too, said Chris Regal of AHIP, the national health insurers鈥� trade association.
Doctors say vaccine hesitancy, and dangers to kids, could grow
With confusion and fear rising, Racine said pediatricians expect to answer more questions from parents.
But many doctors fear vaccine hesitancy may still keep increasing. Federal data shows U.S. have been dropping, with the share of children with exemptions hitting an all-time high in the 2024-25 school year.
Experts said they worry about families skipping necessary vaccines for their children or spacing out shots, since a vaccine-preventable disease could strike between doctor visits.
鈥淧arents deserve clear, evidence-based guidance about how to protect their children, not competing recommendations issued through political processes,鈥� said Michael Osterholm, a University of Minnesota expert on infectious diseases. 鈥淲hen families receive conflicting messages, confidence in vaccination suffers, and children ultimately bear the consequences.鈥�
___
Medical writer Mike Stobbe and video journalist Mary Conlon contributed.
___
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute鈥檚 Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
Copyright © 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
