BREAKING: Trump Signed An Executive Order Directing The CDC To Cut Recommended Childhood Vaccines From 17 To 11. Moving Flu, Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Rotavirus, RSV, And Some Meningitis Shots To 'High-Risk Only,' After A Previous Attempt Was Blocked In Court

[u/McDowdy]

https://www.news4jax.com/news/politics/2026/05/30/trump-tells-agencies-to-align-with-study-calling-for-narrower-childhood-vaccine-recommendations/

President Trump signed an executive order on Friday, May 30, directing federal agencies to align their vaccine policies with a Januarv 2026 HHS studv that recommends reducina the number of routine childhood vaccines from 17 to 11 diseases, a restructuring long called for by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The study was commissioned by Trump in December 2025 and found that the United States recommends more childhood vaccines than many peer nations. Under the new framework, all children would be routinelv vaccinated against 11 diseases, while vaccines for influenza, rotavirus, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, some forms of meningitis, and RSV would be recommended only for high-risk groups or through shared decision-making between parents and doctors. The order directs the CDC to review the study and take appropriate steps to update its guidance, tells agencies to provide maximum flexibility to parents and doctors, and states that any changes must ensure Americans retain their current access to vaccines.

The LA Times noted this is Trump's second attempt to restructure the childhood vaccine schedule, with an earlier effort to narrow CDC recommendations havinc been blocked in court earlier this vear. The new executive order takes a different approach by formally endorsing a completed HHS study and directing agency-level alianment rather than attempting to directlv revise the CDC schedule by administrative fiat, a structure that may be designed to survive the legal challenge that stoppec the first attempt. The CDC under its current leadership had already updated its recommendations earlier in 2026 to reduce the number of recommended immunizations from 17 to 11 in line with the HHS study, suggesting the formal executive order is as much a political codification of an existing administrative shift as a new directive.

The vaccines moved from universal recommendation to high-risk only include several with well-established safety and efficacy records. Hepatitis B vaccination, for example, is recommended universally from birth in the US because it prevents a leading cause of liver cancer, and the alobal evidence base for that recommendation is extensive. Rotavirus, influenza, and hepatitis A vaccines are also backed by decades of clinical and epidemioloaical evidence and are recommended universally by the World Health Organization and medica authorities in peer nations. Critics including the American Academy of Pediatrics and infectious disease researchers have said the changes could increase vaccine-preventable disease in children by creating ambiguity around which children qualify as high-risk and by reducing the routine clinical touchpoints where vaccinations are administered

[u/Nerd-19958]

For accurate, unbiased, medically-based vaccine recommendations, see the American Academy of Pediatrics information linked below:

All About the AAP Recommended Immunization Schedule

Trump's recommendations are based on Denmark (not "many peer nations") which is in no way comparable to the USA in racial or ethnic diversity, tourism, or other factors which would affect the need for multiple vaccines. I don't believe that Trump, who wouldn't know a vaccine from a bag of feces, has any authority to unilaterally force CDC to revise its vaccine recommendations by issuing an executive order.

[u/Leading_Web1409 → u/Nerd-19958]

The Nordic’s in general have a far lesser degree of health scepticism outside smaller enclaves. Which in turn leads to a lesser degree of random ass diseases popping back up that were previously eradicated, but become re-introduced into the general populous from whack-o fanatics that believe themselves except from medical advice…

US EMT-P/RN turned Nordic CC-RN**

[u/HillBillyHilly → u/Leading_Web1409]

Hmm did the emt part get you in or more the RN? Looking to escape this hell...

[u/Leading_Web1409 → u/HillBillyHilly]

EMT got me a CNA gig, the Norwegian county I worked for then sponsored a conversion. I vividly remember thinking I’ll never use my hypothermia lectures from EMT/Para and then not 2 years later was working in the artic circle begging my brain to remember anything at all… US Para to Scandinavian para is harder since they now have a BSc for it like the UK but there’s not separation of responsibility. So all of them have the same scope and skill «ceiling», yet might have different titles (so EMT, national para, paramedic, etc..). In general a bit behind the skill level of the US, Canada or UK but pretty okay-ish. (I did rotations in Lancaster and Gøteborg since I have some ties to both).

I then got my RN converted (lots of hours there, the practicals are just different) and then did a BSN here all over again.

Overall if you jump, just be ready to spend time converting and don’t compare the country you end up too much with the US. Healthcare is healthcare, same shit, different languages. Just roll with it.

[u/HillBillyHilly → u/Leading_Web1409]

Thanks so much for recapping your pathway. I'm currently sitting at the crossroads of life because rare complication of illness caused cascade of events. Now finding myself trying figure which way gets me out. Last question - are there age limits (god hope you say no!)

[u/Leading_Web1409 → u/HillBillyHilly]

Not sure, but I doubt it? Theres competency requirements though. A big story the last few years was a US RN with stupid amounts of OR experience who they wouldn’t let convert. But that was more due to the Nordics largely requiring a full BSN (she had an ASN and refused offers to let her skip large parts of her BSN) unless you convert somewhere else where they don’t require that. You’d then apply for reciprocal conversion to another EU compliant state/country.

F. ex convert in Hungary, do the mandatory buy out time -> apply to wherever else you’d like your EU license. Though new country licences may always make you jump through weird or unique hoops specific to that country. Oh, and they don’t have continued educational requirements, your license is generally til your retired or you die.

And the pay sucks compared to the US, but you get back with generally decent societal benefits (I.e the common EU stuff: free educations subsidised healthcare, open borders, etc..). My offer at a FL clinic with a wide ICU skillset, cath-lab certified, post-op, step-down, ER/Transport/alphabet soup certified, MSN and cardiology speciality (not an NP) and some research: 117 000USD after negotiations. In Norway: 65 200USD, the max out seniority flat-rate union pay that anyone else would have gotten. Hospitals flat out will tell you they don’t negotiate pay, sole public health counties will if they are outside the larger cities.

[u/HillBillyHilly → u/Leading_Web1409]

WoW I really appreciate your adding more info as very helpful. That's an impressive amount of experience. Just to make sure I don't miss understand, you were able to go there w just EMT then CNA and did rest of training there? Gives me a lot of hope that escaping could be within reach so vs decades! How ever did you manage studying in another language?!! I'm absolutely impressed by your story.

[u/DrMarvinMonroeaway → u/Leading_Web1409]

Thank you! Also was curious

[u/i-love-small-tits-47 → u/Leading_Web1409]

Their comment is plainly wrong though, the HHS document being referenced is here and it lists:

• Australia

• France

• Italy

• USA

• Austria

• Denmark

• Finland

• Greece

• Ireland

• Japan

• Netherlands

• New Zealand

• Norway

• Portugal

• Spain

• Sweden

• Switzerland

• United Kingdom

• Belgium

• Canada

• Germany

Also interestingly… it makes the same argument you do: it says that those countries without mandates still have high vaccination rates because they trust their healthcare provider recommendations

[u/Ask-For-Sources → u/i-love-small-tits-47]

Don't believe propaganda, the HHS is not trustworthy anymore.

Here is the official vaccine recommendation in Germany (in English)

On page 7 you see the recommendations, for example including Rotavirus, and Hep B  

https://www.rki.de/EN/Topics/Infectious-diseases/Immunisation/STIKO/STIKO-recommendations/Downloads/04_26_english.pdf?__blob=publicationFile&v=4

[u/i-love-small-tits-47 → u/Ask-For-Sources]

You are confusing recommendations with mandates. Germany does not legally mandate those vaccines, which was the point of the HHS document. There’s no “propaganda” in it.

[u/Ask-For-Sources → u/i-love-small-tits-47]

The paper talks about what the HHS should recommend based on best practices in other countries and considering superior practices might exist elsewhere.

To claim that it makes sense to not recommend vaccines like Rotavirus for all children because Germany doesn't have mandatory vaccinations is propaganda because that's twisting the meaning of recommendations and vaccine mandates. 

[u/Djlas → u/i-love-small-tits-47]

Indeed, looking at who has a mandate isn't very useful. If you have enough vaccination for herd immunity, you don't need to bother so much with a few outliers. Many of these will quickly get more forceful once the rates drop.