The Illinois Department of Public Health is not adopting new federal child vaccine guidelines and will continue following recommendations by a leading pediatric medical group.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday that calls for giving the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine, better known as MMR, in three separate shots at three different appointments. It also lowers recommendations for several vaccines such as Hepatitis A and B, meningococcal disease, the flu and COVID-19 into recommend for “certain high-risk groups” or “based on shared clinical decision-making” rather than for all children.
It advises states to follow what Trump calls the “Gold Standard Childhood Vaccine Recommendations” and update laws to reflect it. Even as the order calls for revised recommendations, states, not the federal government, have the authority to require vaccinations for school children.
Gov. JB Pritzker said in a statement the executive order is a “thoughtless piece of paper” that “does not reverse decades of research and scientific evidence about protecting kids.”
American Academy of Pediatrics recommendations
Instead, Illinois will continue following guidelines outlined by the American Academy of Pediatrics, which the state’s Immunization Advisory Committee previously unanimously adopted in February.
“The Illinois Department of Public Health is committed to ensuring Illinois residents have reliable access to vaccines and guidance supported by the most up-to-date science,” IDPH Director Dr. Sameer Vohra said in a statement. “IDPH will continue to be guided by science and work closely with clinical and community leaders to provide recommendations that allow Illinoisians to make the best choices to keep themselves and their families safe and healthy.”
Those guidelines recommend children receive the Hepatitis B series, at least one COVID-19 and flu shot, first dose of MMR and two doses of Hepatitis A by the time they turn 2. They recommend children receive a second MMR dose between ages 4 and 6 and receive annual flu and COVID shots after turning 2.
Vohra said he’s especially concerned about the order calling for splitting the MMR vaccine into multiple visits, which he says is not supported by science.
Public health experts have raised concerns that spacing out shots like Trump suggests can lead to an increased risk that children become infected with a vaccine-preventable disease before returning for another visit. Childhood vaccines — and how and when to give them in combination — go through rigorous studies, and safety tracking continues for years as the shots are used.
Speaking about the order at the Oval Office on Monday, Trump repeatedly suggested the number or timing of vaccines could play a role in rising rates of autism spectrum disorder, even as scientific consensus and decades of studies have firmly concluded there is no link.
Several changes to the childhood vaccine schedule have already been attempted by the Trump administration but have been blocked by a federal judge.
Illinois-specific actions
Illinois has taken several steps since Trump and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. took office and set their sights on changing the nations vaccine policies to conform to their views.
Pritzker signed a new state law in December, which allows IDPH to create more of its own vaccine guidelines for Illinoisians. Pritzker signed a similar executive order in September.
The law also required state-regulated insurance companies to cover vaccines recommended by IDPH. Federal changes to stop recommending some vaccines made it more likely some insurance companies would stop covering certain shots for people who still wanted them.
Szalinski reported from Springfield on Illinois’ actions. The Associated Press contributed reporting on the president’s actions and news conference to this story.
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