Australian health experts have voiced significant concern following a recent executive order in the United States that reduces the number of recommended childhood vaccinations. The new U.S. policy lowers the recommended immunizations from 18 to 11, with only six vaccines now recommended for all children and five reserved for high-risk groups.

Medical professionals in Australia fear that this shift, which includes rhetoric linking vaccines to autism—a claim that is not supported by scientific evidence—could negatively impact global public health standards. Experts suggest that the influence of U.S. political discourse, specifically statements made by President Donald Trump, may filter into Australian public opinion and undermine decades of progress in immunization coverage.

The Guardian reports that the policy change is viewed by the Australian medical community as lacking a scientific basis. While the U.S. administration frames the move as a policy adjustment, Australian experts characterize it as a potential threat to public health advances. There is currently no indication that the Australian government intends to alter its own vaccination schedule in response to the U.S. decision, but the concern remains that the shift in American policy could embolden vaccine skepticism within Australia.