Trump signs order calling for spacing out childhood vaccines, against medical groups’ guidance

President Donald Trump has signed an executive order advocating for a revised schedule of childhood vaccines. The order promotes the theory that separating vaccines into multiple separate medical visits is beneficial, despite extensive research refuting this claim. It directs the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to improve vaccine research and present a plan for separate measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccines, which are not currently available in the United States.

Public health experts are concerned that spacing out shots could increase children's risk of contracting vaccine-preventable diseases before receiving the next dose. Despite the scientific consensus, Trump insisted that the timing and frequency of vaccines could play a role in rising rates of autism spectrum disorder. The order also includes changes to the childhood vaccine schedule that have been previously blocked by a federal judge.