Trump issues executive order aimed at rewriting childhood vaccine schedule

President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday seeking to alter the U.S. childhood vaccine schedule. The order would separate the current combined measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine into individual shots, despite decades of research confirming its safety and efficacy. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., has been tasked with presenting plans to the president to divide the MMR vaccine.

The order categorizes vaccines into three groups: those recommended for all children, those for specific high-risk groups, and those based on clinical decision-making with a doctor. Currently, vaccines in the first group include measles, mumps, rubella, diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, HPV, and polio. The second group consists of vaccines for respiratory syncytial virus, hepatitis A and B, and more.

Those in the third group are for vaccines like hepatitis A and B, COVID, influenza, and others. The order suggests all childhood immunizations should be administered at separate medical visits. Despite the president's claims about potential lethality, scientific evidence shows the MMR vaccine is both safe and effective. Experts urge parents to rely on evidence-based immunization recommendations from trusted medical and public health authorities.