TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — President Donald Trump wants to change how American children get vaccines.

On Monday, Trump signed an executive order recommending changes to the childhood vaccine schedule, including pushing for vaccines to be spaced out and for certain vaccines to be recommended only to high-risk children.

But Trump’s recommendation is just that — a recommendation. And for now at least, children and parents in Florida shouldn’t expect to see any changes.

Trump’s order was quickly criticized by pediatricians and politicians on both sides of the aisle, who said the push to change the vaccine schedule had no scientific basis.

Here’s what Florida parents should know about Trump’s executive order.

What does the executive order say?

Trump’s order calls for doctors to space out the combination MMR vaccine into single shots each for measles, mumps and rubella. But those shots aren’t individually manufactured in the United States.

The order also emphasized that parents should be able to opt their children out of required school-entry vaccinations for religious reasons. That’s something Florida already allows.

The order also suggests that the Hepatitis B vaccine only be recommended to high-risk groups. Current practice recommends the vaccine for all children.

Are Florida physicians making any changes?

Dr. Rana Alissa, president of the Florida Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said the group isn’t planning any changes to its current recommendations.

“Nothing is going to change after this executive order,” Alissa said. “It just creates confusion and chaos, that’s about it.”

Dr. Danielle Carter, the president of the Florida Academy of Family Physicians, also said the group intends to stick to its current recommendations. Both groups have recommendations that largely mirror the longstanding Centers for Disease Control and Prevention vaccine schedule.

Carter is on the commission with the Academy of Family Physicians that crafts vaccine recommendations. It will continue to evaluate recommendations based on its own standards, she said, rather than what the federal government is encouraging.

Can Florida parents space out vaccines?

Florida parents already can choose to space out vaccines, though doctors don’t recommend it.

Alissa said because the MMR vaccine is administered in two doses, Trump’s idea to space out the vaccine into individual shots would mean parents would bring their children to the doctor’s office six times. Drop-offs in the number of people getting all the shots are inevitable, she said.

“The kids are more exposed and more at risk for getting a disease,” Alissa said. “We don’t even recommend postponing the vaccine a month.”

Making multiple appointments for their children could be costly for parents, Carter said, between co-pays for visits and taking time off work.

“They can currently do multiple appointments for vaccines, but that does increase burden on everybody,” Carter said, noting that spacing out vaccines isn’t recommended based on scientific study.

Is Florida government making any changes?

The Florida Department of Health did not respond to multiple requests for comment about whether it would make any changes based on Trump’s order.

Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo has previously pushed for the state to eliminate all vaccine mandates from state law.

The Senate passed a watered-down version of a bill that kept mandates but allowed parents to opt their children out based on their conscience. But the House refused to give the bill a hearing.

Last year, the Department of Health also started a push to remove four required vaccines, including chickenpox and Hepatitis B, from school entry requirements. The department had a hearing on its proposal in December but has not taken any steps forward to remove the vaccine mandates since then.

What’s needed as the school year starts?

Florida law remains unchanged — children need the vaccines for school that have been required in state statute since the 1970s.

That includes vaccines for polio, diphtheria, measles, mumps, pertussis and tetanus.

State law allows parents to exempt their children for religious reasons. Florida parents have increasingly taken advantage of the exemption in recent years. In 2017, about 94% of kindergarten children had their vaccines. This year, about 89% do, according to Florida data.

Fewer people being vaccinated weakens herd immunity, which reduces disease transmission.

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