Health & Public Health
WHO says Trump vaccine overhaul goes against evidence
The World Health Organization said Wednesday that US President Donald Trump's push to overhaul child vaccination policy goes against “decades of evidence,” including on the combined measles, mumps and rubella vaccine.
WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the science is “unequivocal: vaccines -- including the MMR vaccine -- are safe and do not cause autism.” He said vaccination policy should be guided by rigorous, independent and transparent review of the best available science, “not by political influence.”
Trump signed an executive order Monday calling for a review of school vaccine mandates and for the combined MMR vaccine to be made available as three separate shots. The federal government does not directly control school vaccination rules, which are set by states.
Tedros said the WHO was concerned that recent changes to US immunisation policy were not aligned with evidence on when children are most vulnerable to disease, how many vaccine doses are needed and which vaccines can be given together safely. He warned that delaying vaccines or separating doses unnecessarily “does not make vaccination safer and can leave children unprotected.”
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. founded an anti-vaccine group and has long promoted a disproven link between the MMR shot and autism. Medical research has never established any link between autism and vaccination.
Kennedy has launched a review of vaccines, including some that have been used for decades, overhauled the child vaccination schedule and cut funding for the development of new vaccines. Those steps have been condemned by medical and scientific groups.
Public health experts have said the combined MMR shot protects children faster and reduces logistical barriers for families. Andrew Racine, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, estimated that it would take more than a decade to develop approved separated vaccines in the United States.
US courts earlier this year suspended a shake-up of vaccination policy initiated by Kennedy. The order also comes as children prepare to return to school and the United States faces its worst measles outbreak in 35 years.
Update
The World Health Organization warned that Trump's proposed child vaccination changes go against decades of evidence.
WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said vaccines, including the MMR vaccine, are safe and do not cause autism.
Tedros said vaccination policy should be guided by rigorous, independent and transparent scientific review, not political influence.
Tedros warned that delaying vaccines or separating doses unnecessarily can leave children unprotected.
Source note: AFP news report published on 12 August 2026 at 10:47:56 UTC.
Update
New York City Health Commissioner Alister Martin said the order was based “in politics and conspiracy theories.”
Source note: AFP news report published on 10 August 2026 at 22:19:25 UTC.
Update
Senator Bill Cassidy said the order would increase vaccine hesitancy and make children less safe.
Cassidy said vaccines are safe and effective and do not cause autism.
Senior White House officials did not provide a clear rationale when asked why Trump wanted to separate the MMR components.
Source note: AFP news report published on 10 August 2026 at 21:55:20 UTC.
Update
Trump signed the executive order on Monday.
The order says Health and Human Services will form a task force to work on offering the MMR vaccine as individual shots while keeping combination vaccines available.
The order advises states and territories to review administration recommendations on school immunization requirements, but states control school vaccine mandates.
American Academy of Pediatrics officials said children should continue receiving the combined MMR vaccine, which has decades of safety data.
The story adds that earlier Trump administration vaccine policy changes were blocked by a federal court pending further litigation.
The United States is experiencing its worst measles outbreak in 35 years.
Source note: AFP news report published on 10 August 2026 at 20:56:52 UTC.
Uncertainty notes
The timing and feasibility of developing approved separate MMR shots in the United States remain uncertain.
The final outcome of court proceedings over earlier vaccination policy changes remains unresolved.
Source
AFP news report published on .