President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday calling for revamped childhood vaccine recommendations that promote his long-held theory that childhood shots should be spaced out into separate medical visits.

Concerns Over Vaccine Schedule

The order advocates separating the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine into three different single-disease shots and administering all childhood immunizations at separate appointments whenever possible. Public health experts have raised concerns that spacing out shots as Trump suggests can lead to an increased risk that children become infected with a vaccine-preventable disease before returning for another visit.

Dr. Andrew Racine, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said the announcement spreads uncertainty, fear and confusion where “there doesn’t need to be any of that.” He disputed Trump’s recommendations and said previous ones should stand. “Science about vaccines and their efficacy has not changed,” he said.

Parental Rights and Constitutional Concerns

Trump called the announcement a “major victory for parents rights, religious and constitutional rights, and for the gold standard science.” The order also includes several changes to the childhood vaccine schedule that his health department has already attempted, but that have been blocked by a federal judge.

Sen. Bill Cassidy, the Republican chair of the Senate health committee, slammed the executive order in a social media post, saying vaccines are safe and do not cause autism. “I’m a doctor. This executive order is wrong,” the Louisiana senator wrote. “The President does not have the expertise to make these changes.”

Original reporting: KTSA News/Talk (San Antonio) — read the source article.