Florida doctors push back against Trump’s new childhood vaccine recommendations
PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. —
Florida pediatricians are pushing back on President Donald Trump’s executive order calling for changes to the childhood vaccination schedule.
The order recommends that the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine be split into three separate shots, something that is currently not an option in the United States.
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While some may agree with this new guidance, leaders of the Florida chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics said they are not on board.
“It’s not backed by any science. There is no research behind it. There is no data. We don’t know where it’s coming from,” Dr. Rana Alissa, the president of the Florida chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said.
The order also recommends giving childhood vaccines at separate appointments whenever possible.
“We’re not planning to make any changes. And we are not planning to separate any vaccine or even recommend it,” Alissa said.
Alissa is also an associate professor in pediatrics.
She said childhood vaccines have been studied extensively, with data showing they have been proven to save lives.
She believes this new guidance will lead to confusion for parents.
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“We already have a school requirement for vaccines. And it’s been providing safety, and it’s been saving lives for decades. So, I’m not sure why the confusion and where it is coming from. So, the parents, I would tell parents, please don’t be confused. Please stick with your pediatrician. Your pediatrician is the expert. Politicians are not experts,” Alissa said.
For the last several years, Florida leaders, including Gov. Ron DeSantis and Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo, have been critical of vaccine mandates, but their efforts to expand exemptions for K-12 schools through legislation have so far been unsuccessful.
Alissa wants to stress that this new order doesn’t change anything for Florida families right now.
“American Academy of Pediatrics is the source we go to, and they have their own vaccine schedule. We’re sticking with that. We are not planning to make any changes. These are national. They don’t go by different from state to state. As a pediatrician, this is what I follow personally because it’s backed by science,” Alissa said.
Trump’s executive order also directs the nation’s health department to improve research on vaccines even though they are already extensively studied, and present a plan to offer separate measles, mumps, and rubella vaccines for children, since that is not currently an option in the United States.
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