Public health departments across the country are weighing in following President Donald Trump’s executive order calling for major changes to school vaccine recommendations just weeks before the beginning of school.
Yellowstone County Public Health Officer Jon Forte in Billings says, despite the timing, vaccine recommendations remain much the same as previous years.
“Right now, the executive order doesn’t change anything immediately,” said Forte.
The president’s order calls for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to change long-standing vaccine recommendations, including splitting the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine into three separate doses.
Forte says not only would it take years to do, but it would also subject children to three shots instead of one and make it harder for families to schedule them.
“It creates more barriers, and it decreases the likelihood that someone is going to get that highly effective vaccine,” said Forte.
The order also directs HHS to drop covid-19, flu and five other diseases from the list of 18 vaccines recommended for most children.
“What folks need to know is that this executive order does not impact your ability to sit down with your pediatrician and make educated decisions about which vaccines are right for you or your child,” Forte said.
