US President Donald Trump signed an executive order reducing the number of recommended childhood immunizations in the US from 18 to 11. Julie Leask, a social scientist at the University of Sydney, said the policy change and associated misinformation are contributing to declining childhood immunization rates in Australia, including a 3% drop in hepatitis B vaccination among one-year-olds.

A national survey of Australian parents released in February showed decreased acceptance of routine childhood vaccinations compared to the previous year. The coverage rate for full childhood vaccination for all five-year-old children in Australia is 92.6%, which falls short of the target coverage rate of 95%.

Leask is an expert on social behaviors surrounding vaccination. "Anything Trump says filters through to Australia," Leask said. "Australian parents and caregivers hear it, and it does affect a minority of people and makes them wonder about vaccines and their safety." She added that some of her colleagues are worried that they are going back to the future.

Lucy Clynes is the chief executive of Hepatitis Australia. Her organization analyzed search term trends over the past 12 months and found increased online searches by Australians regarding vaccine safety claims following US government comments. "There has been a 3% drop in the number of one-year-olds who are fully immunised for hepatitis B in Australia, a downward trend since about 2020," Clynes said.

"People here see something that the US government has said and they start searching on Google or Instagram, and the results that they get are often wrong." "They’re very scary," Clynes said. "When people start doing their own research on vaccines, it means they haven’t immediately trusted what their healthcare provider has told them … And that worries us."

More than 230,000 Australians live with chronic hepatitis B infection. Infants in Australia are recommended to receive a course of four hepatitis B vaccines, including one at birth. Ben Cowie is the director of the WHO Collaborating center for Viral Hepatitis.

"We know that [vaccination programs are] having a profound impact, particularly in high prevalence countries, many of which are in our region," Cowie said. "We can’t ignore that."

The Australasian Society for Infectious Diseases issued a statement affirming the safety of the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine. The society attached 10 published studies to its release showing the MMR vaccine is scientifically safe and effective. "The science has not changed: MMR vaccination is a safe and effective way to protect children from measles, mumps and rubella," the organization stated. "ASID encourages parents who have questions about vaccination to speak with their GP, paediatrician, immunisation nurse or other trusted healthcare professional."

Under the new US schedule, six vaccines are recommended for all children, while five others, including hepatitis B, are recommended only for high-risk children. The US executive order suggests a link between vaccines and autism despite a lack of evidence. Australia currently recommends 15 childhood vaccinations.

A White House event promoted claims about vaccines that pediatricians describe as misleading, false, and long-disproven. Pediatricians state there are no new research studies or data warranting drastic changes to the childhood immunization schedule. The myth linking vaccines to autism stems from a single report from England involving 12 children that was retracted after being found fraudulent and unethical. Pediatricians state there is no medical reason to separate the MMR vaccine into three shots. Separate MMR shots would take years or even a decade to become available in the US, if at all. Measles cases are currently rising in the US. In Japan, the mumps vaccine is not routinely recommended, and large outbreaks still occur. Studies show delaying and spacing out vaccine shots is risky because it leaves children’s immune systems vulnerable to dangerous illnesses.

Why It Matters

The decline in vaccination coverage in Australia coincides with policy shifts in the United States, where the recommended childhood immunization schedule was reduced from 18 to 11 vaccines. This represents a decrease in recommended protections for children. With more than 230,000 Australians living with chronic hepatitis B, maintaining high vaccination rates is critical for public health. The target coverage rate of 95% is designed to ensure herd immunity, but current rates for five-year-olds stand at 92.6%.

Julie Leask said that misinformation travels across borders, influencing parental decisions even in countries with different health policies. The rise in online searches for vaccine safety claims in Australia following US government comments illustrates this dynamic. Medical societies emphasize that existing scientific evidence supports the safety and efficacy of current vaccines, and that delaying or spacing out shots leaves children vulnerable to dangerous illnesses.

Timeline

The US adopted the rotavirus vaccine in 2006. On February 14, 2022, a Notice of Decision Not To Designate Hepatitis Delta Virus Diseases as an Addition to the Current List of Tropical Diseases in the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act was issued. A national survey of Australian parents released in February 2025 showed decreased acceptance of routine childhood vaccinations compared to the previous year. On May 22, 2026, the Health and Human Services Department published a notice titled Notice of Decision Not To Designate Hepatitis Delta Virus Diseases as an Addition to the Current List of Tropical Diseases in the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.

What's New

Research titled History of hepatitis B vaccination in New Zealand: lessons for Australia? Was published in 1993 in Australian Journal of Public Health. Research titled Why should Australia adopt universal infant hepatitis B vaccination? Was published in 1996 in Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health. The Health and Human Services Department published a notice titled Notice of Decision Not To Designate Hepatitis Delta Virus Diseases as an Addition to the Current List of Tropical Diseases in the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act on May 22, 2026.

Pediatricians state there are no new research studies or data warranting drastic changes to the childhood immunization schedule. The myth linking vaccines to autism stems from a single report from England involving 12 children that was retracted after being found fraudulent and unethical. In Denmark, rotavirus vaccination is not routine, and approximately 1,200 children are hospitalized with rotavirus dehydration every year. PureSource News previously reported that a pediatrics practice in Amherst, Mass. Removed the CDC from its trusted vaccine list. Andrew D. Racine is the president of the American Academy of Pediatrics.