Nearly 12,000 suburban Cook County students lack documented measles vaccination, and the Cook County Department of Public Health wants Park Ridge and Niles families to know: a new presidential executive order does not change what shots their kids need for school.

CCDPH issued a statement Thursday, Aug. 13 reaffirming the standard American Academy of Pediatrics immunization schedule, the same day Maine South and Maine East high schools opened their doors for the 2026-27 school year. The agency said it does not recommend families alter, delay or space out vaccinations based on President Trump's executive order, signed Monday, Aug. 10.

The number of unvaccinated children in suburban Cook County has doubled since 2014. While 97% of students were vaccinated against measles during the 2025-26 school year, the remaining gap leaves thousands vulnerable at a time when measles cases nationally have soared to 2,260 confirmed infections as of mid-July — the highest level since 1991, according to the Chicago Tribune. Only four cases have been confirmed in Illinois.

What the executive order says

Trump's "Gold Standard Childhood Vaccine Recommendations" order calls for all childhood vaccines to be administered at separate visits rather than combined in one appointment, and directs the MMR vaccine to be split into three individual shots once available domestically. The order also reduces universally recommended shots from 17 to 11 and tasks a Health and Human Services Department panel with revising the overall schedule within 90 days, BioPharma Dive reported.

No separate vaccines exist yet. The individual measles, mumps and rubella shots called for by the order are not currently licensed in the United States.

Why CCDPH says spacing is dangerous

The department said spacing out vaccines into separate visits leaves children vulnerable to serious illness during the extra time between appointments, with no added safety benefit. No data support the claim that separating doses improves safety, according to CIDRAP at the University of Minnesota.

Dr. Kiran Joshi, CCDPH's chief operating officer, said in a July 15 press release that the number of unvaccinated students remains high despite a modest uptick in overall vaccination rates. In a July 20 Chicago Tribune interview, Joshi said the county wants to stay "above the 95% vaccination coverage level that is required to sustain that community immunity."

Two doses of the MMR vaccine are more than 97% effective at preventing measles, Joshi said in the same interview.

What families need to do

Illinois immunization requirements for 2026-27 are unchanged. K-12 students need two doses of measles vaccine, among other required shots. Students must show proof of immunization or a valid medical or religious exemption by Oct. 15 or face exclusion from school, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health.

CCDPH is offering free back-to-school immunization clinics through mid-October for children ages 6 months to 18 years, regardless of immigration or insurance status. The full clinic schedule is available on the CCDPH website. No Park Ridge or Niles-specific clinic has been announced, but locations in Norridge and Rolling Meadows are among those listed.