WASHINGTON, D.C. — The National Medical Association is warning that changes to federal childhood vaccine recommendations could undermine public confidence in immunization and have particularly serious consequences for Black children and families.
The NMA issued its response following an Aug. 10 executive order signed by President Donald Trump that changes the federal government’s approach to childhood vaccines. The order reduces the number of immunizations universally recommended for children and moves several vaccines into categories based on individual risk or shared decision-making between parents and health care providers.
The directive also calls for eventually separating the combined measles, mumps and rubella vaccine into individual injections when those products become available and directs federal officials to examine alternatives to some ingredients currently used in vaccines.
Dr. Brandi Kaye Freeman, the 127th president of the National Medical Association, said the organization is “deeply concerned” about the changes and statements surrounding the order that the NMA says are inconsistent with established scientific evidence.
“For more than a century, the NMA has advocated for policies rooted in rigorous science, sound medicine and the protection of public health,” Freeman said. “Vaccines are among the most extensively studied and effective tools available to prevent serious illness, disability and death.”
The NMA, the nation’s oldest and largest organization representing Black physicians and their patients, said decisions about childhood immunizations should be based on scientific evidence and the expertise of qualified medical and public health professionals.
The organization expressed particular concern about how changing federal recommendations and public messaging could affect vaccine confidence among Black families.
“Statements that are not supported by credible scientific evidence risk creating confusion for parents and families and may have serious consequences for the health of children and communities,” Freeman said.
The NMA cited research from KFF showing Black parents were at least 10 percentage points less likely than White and Hispanic parents to express confidence in the safety of measles, mumps, rubella and polio vaccines.
According to the organization, 55% of Black parents expressed confidence in the safety of flu vaccines for children, compared with 64% of White parents and 69% of Hispanic parents.
“Those consequences will not necessarily be felt equally,” Freeman said. “Black children and families already face disparities in vaccine confidence, access and health outcomes that could be exacerbated by policies or rhetoric that further undermine trust in immunization.”
The NMA also pointed to influenza deaths as evidence of the potential consequences of declining childhood vaccination rates.
During the 2024-25 flu season, Black children experienced the highest influenza-associated mortality rate among racial and ethnic groups and accounted for 23% of pediatric flu deaths, according to the organization. Among vaccine-eligible children who died and whose vaccination status was known, approximately 90% were not fully vaccinated.
“These numbers are a sobering reminder that declining vaccination rates are not an abstract public health concern,” Freeman said. “They can have devastating consequences for children, particularly in communities that have historically experienced disparities in access to care and health outcomes.”
The administration’s new approach maintains universal recommendations for vaccines protecting against 11 diseases while moving some immunizations, including those for hepatitis A and B, influenza and COVID-19, toward individualized decisions. Certain vaccines would be recommended primarily for children considered at higher risk.
Supporters of the changes have emphasized parental choice and a more individualized approach to childhood immunization.
The NMA, however, cautioned against reversing decades of progress against diseases that once caused widespread childhood illness, disability and death.
“History has demonstrated what can happen when vaccination rates decline,” Freeman said. “We cannot afford to reverse that progress.”
The organization urged federal policymakers to ensure future changes to childhood vaccine recommendations undergo transparent scientific review and are supported by strong evidence.
“The NMA remains committed to evidence-based medicine and to ensuring that every family has access to accurate, trustworthy information to make informed health decisions,” Freeman said.
