MMR vaccine under fire: Trump orders review as US battles worst measles outbreak in 35 years
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "MMR vaccine under fire: Trump orders review as US battles worst measles outbreak in 35 years")
U.S. President Donald Trump, accompanied by (L-R) National Institutes of Health Director Jay Bhattacharya, Jayme Leagh Franklin with the The Conservateur, and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., holds up a sign that reads "Gold Standard Childhood Vaccine Recommendations" before signing an executive order calling for childhood vaccine shots to be spaced out into separate visits during an event in the Oval Office of the White House on August 10, 2026 in Washington, DC. Photograph: (AFP)
Donald Trump has ordered a major rethink of childhood vaccination policy in the US, including the widely used MMR shot and school vaccine requirements. The move comes as measles cases surge across the country and has already triggered a sharp backlash from doctors.
US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order calling for a rethink of the country's childhood vaccination policies, including school vaccine requirements and the use of the combined measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) shot.
The order, signed Monday (Aug 10), directs the US Health and Human Services Department to explore making the MMR vaccine available as three separate shots rather than primarily as a combination vaccine. It also asks states and territories to review federal recommendations on vaccination requirements for school enrollment and attendance.
The move has drawn sharp criticism from medical experts, who say there is no scientific basis for splitting the MMR vaccine and warn that changing established vaccination guidance could increase vaccine hesitancy.
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Trump pushes separate MMR shots
Under the order, HHS will create a task force to work with the private sector and other countries to make individual measles, mumps and rubella vaccines available, while continuing to ensure access to combination vaccines.
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Trump has repeatedly questioned the combined MMR shot. His latest move comes as the US faces its worst measles outbreak in 35 years.
Medical organisations, however, say decades of evidence support the safety and effectiveness of the combined vaccine. Andrew Racine, president of the American Academy of Paediatrics, said developing and approving separate vaccines in the US could take more than a decade.
Aaron M. Milstone, a member of the AAP's Committee on Infectious Diseases, urged parents to continue using vaccines with decades of safety data.
States retain control over school mandates
The executive order also calls on states and territories to reconsider the administration's immunisation recommendations for settings such as schools. But the federal government cannot simply impose nationwide school vaccination requirements because states have authority over school enrollment and attendance rules.
New York City Health Commissioner Alister Martin criticised the move, saying vaccination policy should not be dictated by politics. "Fortunately, vaccination recommendations are not set by the president, nor should they be," Martin said.
Kennedy's vaccine agenda under scrutiny
The order is closely aligned with the priorities of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime vaccine sceptic who has promoted claims linking vaccines to autism despite those claims being repeatedly debunked by scientific research.
Senator Bill Cassidy, a physician who played a decisive role in Kennedy's confirmation, also opposed Trump's latest move. "This executive order is wrong," Cassidy said, arguing that it could increase vaccine hesitancy and make children less safe.
The latest order comes just weeks before children return to school across the US, at a time when measles cases have surged.
