The World Health Organisation has warned that US President Donald Trump’s latest push to overhaul childhood vaccination policy is not supported by scientific evidence.
The warning came after Mr Trump signed an executive order seeking changes to the US childhood vaccine schedule, including an effort to separate the combined measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine into three individual shots.
The WHO said there was no scientific justification for breaking up the combined MMR vaccine, which has been used for decades and is supported by extensive evidence on its safety and effectiveness.
Mr Trump has argued that childhood vaccinations should be administered through more separate visits, saying this would reduce the number of vaccines given to children at once.
However, health experts have challenged the basis for the proposed changes, warning that separating the MMR vaccine could make vaccination more complicated and increase the risk of children missing doses.
The move has also drawn criticism from medical professionals and vaccine manufacturers. Experts say there is currently no scientific evidence showing that splitting the combined MMR vaccine provides greater protection than the existing approach.
The controversy comes amid renewed debate in the United States over childhood vaccination, following claims by Mr Trump and Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr about vaccines and autism.
Medical experts have repeatedly rejected a causal link between vaccines and autism, citing decades of research involving millions of children.
The WHO’s intervention adds to growing concern among public health experts that changes to established vaccination schedules without strong scientific justification could undermine public confidence and contribute to outbreaks of preventable diseases.
The Trump administration, however, maintains that its proposed changes are aimed at giving parents greater choice and improving what it describes as the country’s approach to childhood vaccination.
