Parents may notice changes to the federal childhood vaccine recommendations following a new executive order signed this week. The changes affect which vaccines are routinely recommended for all children and could eventually change how some vaccines are given.
The most important thing for parents to understand is that this does not mean vaccines have suddenly been found to be unsafe or ineffective. We have decades of research showing that routine childhood vaccines prevent serious illnesses, hospitalizations, and deaths.
One of the changes involves recommending fewer vaccines universally for all children, while moving some vaccines into categories based on individual risk or conversations between families and their healthcare providers.
The order also calls for making separate measles, mumps, and rubella vaccines available as an alternative to the combined MMR vaccine. Right now, those individual vaccines are not available in the United States, and the combined MMR vaccine has a long-established safety and effectiveness record.
From a medical standpoint, spacing vaccines out over additional visits has not been shown to make vaccination safer. What it can do is leave a child unprotected against certain diseases for a longer period of time and require families to make additional medical visits.
What should parents do if they're confused about which vaccines their child should receive?
I would start with your child's pediatrician or family physician. Don't delay a vaccine simply because you're hearing conflicting information.
Ask which vaccines protect your child at their particular age, what diseases they prevent, and whether your child has any medical condition that changes the recommendation.
And I think this is especially important as children head back to school. We're already seeing the consequences when vaccination rates fall, including a significant resurgence of measles in this country.
As a physician and a parent, I believe these decisions should be based on the best available medical evidence and your child's individual health. If you have questions or concerns about a vaccine, bring them to your doctor. That's exactly the conversation we want parents to have.
