Trump issues order to separate MMR vaccine amid measles crisis
The White House has directed the Department of Health and Human Services to develop individual measles, mumps and rubella shots, a move that contradicts established medical consensus and coincides with the US’s worst measles outbreak in 35 years.
US President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday directing a comprehensive review of school vaccine mandates and the separation of the combined measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine into three individual shots. The directive aligns with the policy agenda of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr, who has previously promoted a disproven link between immunisation and autism.
The order advises states and territories to review their immunisation requirements for school enrolment and attendance. However, it acknowledges that states retain the legal authority to mandate vaccinations. Consequently, the federal directive functions more as a recommendation than a binding command, with the White House urging jurisdictions to reconsider existing rules.
In a separate component of the order, the Department of Health and Human Services will establish a task force to work with the private sector and international partners to offer separated MMR vaccines. The administration has guaranteed the continued availability of combination vaccines, yet public health experts have expressed significant concern regarding the feasibility and safety implications of the shift.
Andrew Racine, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, estimated that it would take more than a decade to develop and approve separated vaccines in the US. Racine and other experts, including Aaron M. Milstone of the academy’s Committee on Infectious Diseases, emphasised that the combined vaccine offers faster protection and reduces logistical burdens for parents, warning that the administration’s approach lacks scientific justification.
The executive action arrives against a backdrop of heightened public health challenges, including the US’s worst measles outbreak in 35 years. Senator Bill Cassidy, a physician who confirmed Kennedy’s appointment, stated on social media that the initiative would increase vaccine hesitancy and endanger children. Cassidy reiterated that vaccines do not cause autism, a claim repeatedly debunked by scientific research.
White House officials declined to provide a clear rationale for separating the MMR components during a press call. The order follows a federal court stay earlier this year that blocked previous administration efforts to overhaul vaccine policy, a decision that sided with major medical organisations who argued the changes were unlawful.
