OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. visited the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha Thursday as local health professionals voiced concerns about a new executive order from President Trump that changes the recommended childhood vaccine schedule.
WATCH STORY BELOW
The executive order, released this month, reduces the number of recommended childhood vaccines and breaks up the immunizations for measles, mumps and rubella — the MMR — into three separate shots.
When KMTV asked, Kennedy said the changes will benefit children's health.
"The new vaccine schedule will make our children more healthy as we have the unhealthiest kids in the world," he said.
The Nebraska Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, and several other healthcare organizations, issued a letter pushing back on the new guidance.
The letter says, in part: "These changes depart from the rigorous, evidence-based processes that have guided vaccine recommendations for decades. Bypassing established scientific review and expert guidance for decisions of such importance unnecessarily endangers the health of Nebraska's children and communities."
University of Nebraska President and medical doctor Jeffrey Gold, who led UNMC through the pandemic, also weighed in.
"The decisions about vaccines, for a very long time, have been based on recommendations but more commonly based on the interactions between families and their trusted health professionals," he said.
During the visit, Kennedy also praised the National Quarantine Center at UNMC and the role Gold has played emphasizing nutrition education for medical students.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
