US Announces Fewer Childhood Vaccine Requirements—Trump: 'No Longer Require 72 Jabs for Healthy Children'

The United States is planning to change its childhood vaccination schedule in a major way and promote fewer vaccines in most children, a change that has caused both support and concern within the public health sphere.

As it keeps safeguarding against some of the gravest illnesses, health authorities are tightening their standards on many vaccinations, focusing on individualized choice and coming nearer to the practice in other first-world countries.

Part of this was also due to a request by U.S. President Donald Trump, who asked for a review of the childhood vaccine schedule to bring it into closer alignment with international standards.

'Effective today, America will no longer require 72 'jabs' for our beautiful, healthy children,' Trump wrote on Truth Social. 'We are moving to a far more reasonable Schedule, where all children will only be recommended to receive Vaccinations for 11 of the most serious and dangerous diseases,' he added.

Trump signed a presidential memorandum in December requesting the Department of Health and Human Services to analyse global methods of vaccination.

'Parents can still choose to give their children all of the Vaccinations, if they wish, and they will still be covered by insurance,' he clarified. 'However, this updated Schedule finally aligns the United States with other Developed Nations around the World,' he further stated.

A rapid movement toward fewer vaccinations

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that it would still be advising the necessary vaccination including measles, mumps, rubella, polio, chickenpox and human papillomavirus (HPV).

Nevertheless, the agency is decreasing its levels of recommendations regarding immunisations against meningococcal disease, hepatitis B, and hepatitis A to only people at increased risk of infection.

The updated schedule also points to the fact that flu, COVID-19, and rotavirus vaccines must be decided on using shared clinical decision-making that will entail consultation of the healthcare providers instead of being administered automatically.

Notably, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccines are not subject to a change in their recommendations, with children born to mothers who were not vaccinated showing a need to receive a dose of the vaccine.

The aim, as stipulated by the HHS officials, is to customise immunization practices to the specific health conditions besides offering prolonged protection against life-threatening diseases.

The new vaccine schedule of the US is more similar to that of other developed countries, and specifically, Denmark. The health authority in Denmark does not propose regular childhood vaccinations against rotavirus, hepatitis A, meningococcal disease, influenza, or chicken pox.

It is a difference in public health priorities and healthcare systems, the Danish officials mentioning universal access to high-quality prenatal and childhood care as one of the reasons why it is possible to implement a less aggressive vaccination policy.

Political complications and health concerns raised

The situation was also complicated by the appointment of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as an acting head of the Centre of Drug Evaluation and Research in the FDA, as Kennedy had always been a sceptic regarding the safety of vaccines.

In the meantime, Trump applauded the new schedule, claiming it safeguards the children against the most severe and dangerous diseases, making the vaccination decisions voluntary and insured.

Nonetheless, several specialists in the field of public health raised concerns that the condensed schedule can negatively impact herd immunity and trigger outbreaks of other diseases, including measles and whooping cough.

Trust and communication problems in the public

Among the motivations expressed by HHS to revise the schedule, the restoration of people's confidence in vaccines can be mentioned. The agency believes that a simplified schedule would help decrease vaccine hesitancy that has been driven over the past few years by misinformation and politicisation of immunisations.

Authorities noted that even though it has been suggested to vaccinate more, the US has not kept up with peer countries with their vaccination rates, and thus, immunisation requirements are not enough.

However, the recent policy changes also cast doubt on the issue of transparency and data gathering. In the recent past, the Centres for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) no longer requested the states to provide the data on childhood vaccination of Medicaid and CHIP beneficiaries.

Analysts also believe that such a decrease in surveillance would reduce knowledge about the level of vaccination coverage and complicate the provision of timely responses to epidemics. The relocation has been condemned on the grounds of promoting a patchwork of state policies, with some states likely to incorporate more lax standards depending on the political environment in certain areas.

Professional opinions and future projections

There is a risk that sudden or ill-thought-out alterations to the vaccination policy will destroy the long-term disease control processes, according to the public health professionals. The CDC has been advised by the Advisory Committee on Immunisation Practises (ACIP), including former members who have been sceptical of the sudden overhaul made without enough public debate or transparency.

Critics claim that the cowboy strategy to health policy, where quick and quiet changes are being made, may sidetrack the attempts to keep the rates of vaccination high. They emphasise that a successful immunisation initiative relies on trust in the population, messaging consistency and sound evidence-based practises.

In the meantime, proponents of the use of vaccination point out that vaccination has helped to decrease the morbidity and mortality of childhood. They warn that a decline in immunisation coverage would result in a revival of preventable diseases, particularly those in health care disparity communities.

Originally published on IBTimes UK