Statement From State Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald on the Presidential Executive Order Related to Childhood Vaccination

ALBANY, N.Y. (August 11, 2026) – New York State Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald issued the following statement on the President’s August 10 executive order related to childhood vaccination:

“This Executive Order doesn’t change New York State’s immunization requirements or recommendations. To be clear: no new research was presented. Vaccines are the best protection for our children and under Governor Kathy Hochul, New York has the strongest public health standards in the country. With measles cases on the rise across the country, now is not the time to confuse the public. The MMR vaccine has been protecting children for over 55 years. Splitting it into three visits offers no clinical advantage and requires children to have more shots and parents to have more office visits while providing no additional medical benefit. Here in New York, we will continue to be guided by the science.”

More information on the current New York State childhood and adolescent immunization recommendations can be found here.