In a move that has sparked controversy and concerns among health experts, President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday calling for revisions to the current childhood vaccination schedule in the United States. The proposed changes include reducing the number of recommended vaccines from 18 to 11, and splitting the mumps, measles, and rubella (MMR) shots into three separate doses. Trump cited historical data showing that children received fewer vaccines in the past, and claimed that high rates of autism today did not exist decades ago. However, multiple studies have debunked any link between MMR vaccines and autism. The new recommendations, if implemented, would significantly alter the gold-standard vaccination guidelines set by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). The immunizations still recommended for all children under the order include those for measles, mumps, rubella, diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, Haemophilus influenzae type B, pneumococcal disease, human papillomavirus, and varicella or chickenpox. Experts have raised concerns that the proposed changes could increase the risk of diseases spreading among children due to gaps in vaccination coverage, as well as potentially causing parents to miss appointments if there are multiple shots. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has stated that there is no scientific evidence supporting the benefits of separating the MMR vaccine into three individual shots, and getting the vaccine is generally considered safer than contracting measles, mumps, or rubella. Trump's Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F Kennedy Jr, defended the changes as giving parents a choice, rather than restricting access to childhood vaccines. However, the federal government does not have the authority to implement the new recommendations, as shots required for school attendance are set at the state level. Critics, including Republican Senator Bill Cassidy and Dr Andrew Racine, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, have denounced the executive order as dangerous and misleading. They argue that delaying or skipping recommended immunizations is risky, especially as measles cases reach a 35-year high in the US and globally. Experts fear that if parents refrain from getting their children vaccinated due to unfounded concerns about autism, it could lead to the resurgence of diseases like measles.