US vaccine programmes set for shake up if Trump sticks to his word

By Gareth Macdonald

- Last updated on GMT

iStock/scarletsails
iStock/scarletsails

Related tags Vaccine

US public health programmes will use lower dose vaccines administered over longer periods from 2017 if President elect Donald Trump adheres to a plan he outlined last year.

Trump, who was elected​ President last night, said he backed lower vaccine dosages and longer administration schedules during a debate in September 2015​.

He cited conclusively disproven​ claims vaccines are somehow linked to autism as the basis for his plan.

Autism has become an epidemic. It has gotten totally out of control. I am totally in favour of vaccines. But I want smaller doses over a longer period of time. You take this little baby, and you pump--I mean, it looks like it's meant for a horse, not for a child.

Just the other day, a 2-year-old child went to have the vaccine, and got a fever; now is autistic. I'm in favour of vaccines, do them over a longer period of time, same amount. And I think you're going to see a big impact on autism​.”

The Trump campaign did not respond to a request for comment.

Regulatory response

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) debunked the autism-vaccine conspiracy theory in a post on its website in 2015 (here​). 

Kathy Harben, Senior Public Affairs Specialist at the CDC, told us "at this time, we can say that as always during transitions, CDC stands ready to work with the new Administration to protect and advance America's health security​."

A spokeswoman for the US Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Office of Media Affairs declined to comment on the implications of Trump's comments.

Industry response

Sanofi Pasteur manufactures vaccines for many countries, including the US.

A spokeswoman for the firm told us "vaccines save two to three million lives every year across the globe. Strict standards and rigorous testing establish vaccines as safe and effective. 

"Research continues to validate no causal relationship between vaccines and autism.  Adhering to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recommended routine vaccination schedule helps parents protect their children from serious life-threatening diseases, some of which re-emerged in the last few years."

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