The medical director of the Allegheny County Health Department is urging parents and caregivers to follow the recommended childhood vaccination schedule for measles, mumps and rubella, pushing back against medical advice outlined in a new presidential executive order.
Dr. Jillian Irwin, the department’s medical director and deputy director for clinical services, issued a statement on Tuesday urging families to make sure children are up to date on their MMR vaccines before returning to school.
“While the recent federal announcement calls for exploring separate measles, mumps and rubella vaccines, single-antigen measles, mumps and rubella vaccines are not available in the United States,” Irwin said. “Families should not wait for a hypothetical future vaccine option when the MMR vaccine is available and has a long history of protecting children.”
President Donald Trump signed an order on Monday that called for fewer childhood vaccines and recommended splitting the MMR shots. The immunizations recommended for all children under the order are for measles, mumps, rubella, diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, Haemophilus influenzae type B, pneumococcal disease, human papillomavirus and varicella or chickenpox.
The order also calls for the number of childhood vaccines to drop to 11 from the existing 18 recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is the largest professional association of pediatricians in the United States. AAP President Dr. Andrew Racine released a statement on social media accusing Trump of creating confusion so people doubt the importance of vaccines.
“There is no new evidence to justify significant changes to childhood immunization guidance. Dozens of studies involving millions of people show there is no link between vaccines and autism, and yet federal leaders continue to promote this outdated, disproven idea to scare families,” Racine said.
Trump’s order serves as guidance, not a mandate, since vaccinations required for school attendance are set at the state level, rather than by the federal government.
The Pennsylvania Department of Health requires all students in grades K–12 to receive two doses of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine for school attendance. The first dose must be administered on or after the child’s first birthday, and the second dose must be given at least one month later, according to the department’s website.
As of Thursday, there were more than 2,400 confirmed measles cases reported in the states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Pennsylvania Department of Health reported there were 252 cases so far this year, 57 of which were diagnosed within the last week.
There were no cases of measles in Allegheny County as of May 7, which was the most recent data available on the county health department’s website. A request for updated data was not returned on Tuesday.
“This is particularly important now. Measles is highly contagious, and cases continue to occur in communities across the country and state,” Irwin said. “Measles is not an abstract or distant threat. It is at our doorstep, and vaccination is the best way to protect children and prevent outbreaks in our community.”