American Lung Association: Executive Order on Vaccines Hurts Children’s Health During Back-to-School Season

Today, the White House issued an executive order regarding childhood immunizations, which undermines the recommendation for flu shots for children and urges states to loosen school immunization requirements. In response, Harold Wimmer, President and CEO of the American Lung Association, issued the following statement:

“This executive order undermines the evidence-based childhood immunization recommendations that keep children and communities healthy, including the flu shot recommendation for children. Children, teachers and school staff are heading back to the classrooms for the new school year. Now is not the time to undercut childhood immunization recommendations. The executive order will cause more confusion for parents and healthcare providers, reduce vaccination rates and increase the spread of vaccine-preventable illnesses.  

“Efforts to undermine confidence in evidence-based vaccines have real, life-and-death consequences for communities. Measles cases are at a 35-year high. During the 2024-2025 flu season, we saw the highest number of pediatric flu deaths since pediatric flu deaths became reportable in 2004, and 89% were in children that were not fully vaccinated. 

“Vaccination remains one of the most effective tools to protect children from serious illness, hospitalization and death. The Lung Association urges federal and state policymakers to maintain current, evidence-based vaccine recommendations to protect the health of children and their families. In addition, the Lung Association encourages parents to talk with their child’s healthcare provider about recommended vaccinations and how best to protect their child’s health.”