Donald Trump's executive order on vaccines does not change the US recommendations for shots, according to experts. However, public health professor Noele Nelson and other experts state that the order is creating confusion and doubt about vaccines, which they believe could lead to increased illness and potentially deaths among children.
The executive order was an attempt to reinstate changes to the vaccine schedule made earlier this year by Robert F Kennedy Jr, Secretary of the US Department of Health and Human Services. These changes were previously halted by a federal judge.
An executive order can only offer guidance to agencies and does not change laws or set recommendations. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendations, which set vaccine guidance, remain unchanged.
Wendy Parmet, faculty co-director of the Center for Health Policy and Law at Northeastern University, noted that the president's comments about vaccine dangers and a disproven connection to autism can have significant effects, sowing distrust among the public.
The order may also put pressure on states to reduce vaccination mandates for school attendance by invoking religious freedom. However, Nelson suggests that any attempt to coerce states to change vaccine laws would likely face pushback and legal challenges.