Jesse Kline: Trump’s anti-vaccine order is a health disaster in the making

Advertisement 1 This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Breadcrumb Trail Links HomeNP Comment Jesse Kline: Trump's anti-vaccine order is a health disaster in the making The new vaccine guidelines essentially aim to turn the entire country into a giant science experiment Author of the article: By Jesse Kline Published Aug 19, 2026 Last updated 22 hours ago 5 minute read Join the conversation U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr., right, looks on as President Donald Trump speaks before signing an executive order calling for more research and flexibility on vaccines, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Aug. 10. PHOTO BY JIM WATSON/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES Article content Three weeks before President Donald Trump signed an executive order reducing the number of recommended childhood vaccinations and splitting vaccines into multiple shots, Johns Hopkins University announced that the number of measles cases in the United States had reached levels not seen since “Terminator 2” was in theatres. Article content If those optics weren’t bad enough, this week the U.S. Centres for Disease Control (CDC) released data showing a sharp increase in kindergarten students who sought vaccine exemptions in the 2025-26 school year. The percentage of kindergartners who received the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine dropped to 92.4 last year, well below the 95 per cent coverage needed to prevent outbreaks. Article content Article content Article content This is significant for a disease that was officially eradicated in the United States 26 years ago and can lead to serious complications, including brain swelling, pneumonia and even death. Similarly low childhood vaccination rates have been reported for other potentially deadly diseases, including polio. Article content Right? The National Post newsletter that doesn’t hold back, giving readers the unvarnished truth on media, politics and culture. Sign Up By signing up, you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Article content Despite these concerning numbers, Trump and his health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., directed federal officials last week to split the MMR vaccine into three separate shots and reduce the number of diseases the federal government recommends children be vaccinated against from 18 to 11. Article content At first blush,…