Trump signs executive order to overhaul pediatric vaccine recommendations

President Donald Trump has signed an executive order aiming to alter the childhood vaccination schedule, potentially overriding the authority of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The order seeks to break apart the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine into three separate shots, a process that is currently not feasible due to the absence of individual licensed vaccines for measles, mumps, and rubella and the lengthy licensing process.

Additionally, the order recommends administering all vaccines at separate medical visits, which could impose a financial and logistical burden on families and healthcare providers. The order also requires the MMR vaccine to be given at separate visits, emphasizing a previously unproven link between vaccines and autism, a claim supported by only six of the 17 routinely recommended vaccines.

The executive order may increase political pressure on states to change their school vaccination requirements, despite the fact that the US has no vaccination mandates and that insurance continues to cover the shots.