Trump issues executive order aimed at rewriting childhood vaccine schedule

Trump issues executive order aimed at rewriting childhood vaccine schedule

The president called for the combined measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine to be split into separate shots, despite decades of research showing that the MMR vaccine is safe and effective

President Donald Trump issued an executive order on Monday aimed at altering the U.S. childhood vaccine schedule. The order would nix the current combined measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine in favor of giving a shot for each disease individually.

The order, a draft of which was obtained by the Washington Post, directs Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., to “present plans” to the president to break up the MMR vaccine into its separate constituents. On Monday Trump falsely suggested that, for the combined vaccines, “there could be a possibility they’re quite lethal, and separately, it looks like they are not at all lethal but just very effective.” Overwhelming evidence shows that the MMR vaccine is both safe and effective , with a low risk of adverse events.

The order directs federal agencies to classify childhood vaccines into three categories: vaccines recommended for all children; vaccines “recommended for certain high-risk groups or populations”; and immunizations given “based on shared clinical decision-making.” It’s unclear whether the order will have any real effect on the nation's vaccine schedule, which is set by the U.S. Centers of Disease Control and Prevention.

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Vaccines in the executive order’s first group—those recommended for all children—include vaccines for measles, mumps, rubella, diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis, as well as human papillomavirus (HPV) and polio, among other conditions.

Vaccines in the second group—those for at-risk populations—include vaccines for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and hepatitis A and B, and more, according to the executive order. Among those in the third category—vaccines recommended based on decision-making in consultation with a doctor—include vaccines for hepatitis A and B, COVID, influenza, and others.

“To the maximum extent feasible,” the order states , “all childhood immunizations should be administered at separate medical visits.”

The president also suggested, without evidence, that childhood vaccinations could be a cause of rising autism rates. “We do not know exactly what the cause is with respect to autism,” Trump said.