WASHINGTON, D.C. (Michigan News Source) – President Donald Trump’s latest executive order takes a shot at the childhood vaccine schedule, calling for the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine to eventually be administered as three separate shots once single-disease vaccines are domestically available.

The order recommends administering childhood vaccines at separate medical visits to the maximum extent feasible and directs the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to improve vaccine research and safety monitoring. It does not specify how far apart the visits should be.

“For far too long, America has recommended more childhood vaccines than any peer nation, and even twice as many doses as some European countries,” the president said during a signing ceremony. “In many cases, we were requiring 72 jabs for our beautiful, healthy, lovely, delicate little children.”

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) pushed back, calling the executive order “disheartening” and “dangerous.”

“There is no new evidence to justify significant changes to childhood immunization guidance,” the AAP said in a statement. “Dozens of studies involving millions of people show there is no link between vaccines and autism, and yet federal leaders continue to promote this outdated, disproven idea to scare families. The only purpose of this announcement is to sow confusion so that more people doubt the importance of vaccines.”

The AAP added, “Vaccine recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics are tailored to the health of children living in the United States and are based on decades of research and systematic tracking of real-world experiences.”

However, the statement comes shortly after Dr. Anthony Fauci’s contentious appearance on Capitol Hill, where he invoked the Fifth Amendment more than 100 times while facing questions about his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.

On Monday, newly released text messages showed Fauci discussing a theoretical concern that the second COVID-19 vaccine dose could be associated with first trimester miscarriage. In the same exchange, Fauci noted that more than 10,000 pregnant women had been vaccinated at that point without safety issues being reported.

Trump’s order states that vaccines for hepatitis B, influenza and COVID-19, among others, will no longer be universally recommended for all children. Instead, some are designated for high-risk groups or shared clinical decision-making. The order also directs federal agencies to take steps related to religious and medical exemptions from state vaccination requirements.