WHO Criticises Trump Vaccine Reforms, Says They Disregard Scientific Evidence

The World Health Organization on Wednesday criticised US President Donald Trump’s push to overhaul childhood vaccination policies, saying the proposed changes run contrary to decades of scientific evidence. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said vaccination policies should be based on independent scientific assessments rather than political considerations, as the Trump administration seeks changes to school vaccine requirements and childhood immunisation practices. Trump signed an executive order on Monday calling for a review of school vaccination mandates and again backed separating the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine into three separate shots.

The order has renewed debate over childhood vaccination requirements in the United States, particularly as federal health officials consider changes to existing recommendations and policies. Responding to the move, Tedros said the scientific evidence supporting vaccines was clear. “Vaccines -- including the MMR vaccine -- are safe and do not cause autism,” he said in a post on X. He described the evidence as “unequivocal” and warned that vaccination policies should be determined through rigorous, independent and transparent evaluation of scientific evidence.

The WHO intervention comes as the Trump administration has sought to reshape aspects of US public health policy. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr has a long history of promoting vaccine-sceptic views and previously founded an anti-vaccine organisation. He has also promoted a claim linking the MMR vaccine to autism, despite the claim having been repeatedly rejected by scientific research. The MMR vaccine is routinely used to protect children against measles, mumps and rubella, three infectious diseases that can cause serious complications. Health authorities and medical organisations have consistently recommended vaccination as an effective way of preventing outbreaks and protecting individuals and communities.

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The WHO has maintained that the available scientific evidence does not establish a causal relationship between MMR vaccination and autism. Trump’s order seeking changes to school vaccine mandates could affect how vaccination requirements are implemented for children attending schools in the United States. School immunisation rules have traditionally been used by authorities to reduce the spread of vaccine-preventable diseases, although requirements and exemptions can vary between jurisdictions. The administration’s renewed interest in separating the MMR vaccine into individual shots has also drawn attention from health experts.

The current combined vaccine is designed to provide protection against all three diseases, while the proposal would involve administering the vaccines separately. WHO’s criticism reflects concerns that changes to established vaccination practices should be supported by strong evidence and careful scientific assessment. Tedros urged governments to ensure that decisions affecting vaccination policy are based on the best available scientific evidence. His comments put the WHO at odds with the direction being pursued by the Trump administration and its health leadership. The disagreement highlights a broader international debate over vaccine policy, public health authority and the role of scientific evidence in government decision-making.

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