Illinois will not change child vaccine guidelines after Trump executive
order
[August 13, 2026]
By Ben Szalinski
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
schoolchildren.
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.
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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.
Capitol News Illinois is
a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service that distributes state
government coverage to hundreds of news outlets statewide. It is
funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R.
McCormick Foundation.
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