President Donald Trump signed an executive order on August 10 calling for the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine to be split into three separate shots administered in separate medical visits, a recommendation that medical experts warn could increase the risk of children contracting vaccine-preventable diseases before their next appointment.
The order directs the nation’s health department to revise childhood vaccine recommendations and calls for reducing the total number of recommended vaccines from 18 to 11 core vaccinations for all children. Speaking at the Oval Office during the signing, Trump suggested that one-year-olds should receive their shots separated into five separate visits, though the scope of this recommendation remained unclear.
[STOCK: vaccine administration pediatric clinic]
The proposal faces a significant hurdle: separate measles, mumps, and rubella vaccines are not currently available in the United States. Manufacturing three individual vaccines would require approval from pharmaceutical companies and the Food and Drug Administration, a process that could take considerable time.
The American Academy of Pediatrics immediately responded with concern. Dr. Andrew Racine, president of the organization, called Trump’s executive order “dangerous” and said it was not based on “gold-standard science.” The CDC similarly stated there is “no published scientific evidence that shows any benefit in separating the combination MMR vaccine into three individual shots,” and warned that spacing out immunizations increases the likelihood that children will contract diseases during the intervals between doses or miss appointments altogether.
Public health experts emphasized that the order comes at a critical moment. The United States is experiencing a measles outbreak with 2,465 confirmed cases as of August 6, 2026—the highest number in 35 years. As of July 24, 2026, the nation had already surpassed the previous year’s total of 2,289 cases just seven months into the year. Medical professionals fear that further vaccination delays could result in the U.S. losing its measles elimination status, a designation it had maintained since 2000.
[STOCK: pediatric clinic waiting room children]
The order also reflects Trump’s long-held claims linking vaccines to autism. During the signing ceremony, Trump stated that “decades ago, children received only a small fraction of the vaccines required today” and that “the high rates of autism now observed did not exist.” However, scientific consensus and decades of rigorous studies have firmly established no link between childhood vaccines and autism. A 2019 Danish study tracking 657,461 children found no evidence supporting the claim that the MMR vaccine causes or triggers autism.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has long promoted vaccine skepticism, defended the order as an effort to give parents choice rather than restrict access to vaccines. Kennedy said his department would continue to research the causes of autism, a pledge he made upon taking office in 2025.
The executive order serves as guidance rather than a mandate, since states—not the federal government—hold the legal authority to require vaccinations for school attendance. The order advises states to consider updating their vaccine laws to align with the administration’s new recommendations and directs the attorney general to take legal action against states with laws that conflict with parental authority or religious exemptions.
At least 23 states have already announced plans to continue following the American Academy of Pediatrics’ vaccine recommendations, which predate the Trump administration’s changes. Republican Senator Bill Cassidy, a physician who was the deciding vote to confirm Kennedy as health secretary, publicly criticized the order, writing on social media that “the President does not have the expertise to make these changes” and reaffirming that “vaccines are overwhelmingly safe. Vaccines are effective. Vaccines DO NOT cause autism.”
Medical organizations warned that the order could increase costs for families and create confusion among parents. Dr. Jan K. Carney, president of the American College of Physicians, cautioned that splitting vaccines into multiple visits would require additional appointments and copays, placing a financial burden on families while undermining public health messaging. Dr. Michael Osterholm, director of the University of Minnesota’s Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, noted that “parents deserve clear, evidence-based guidance about how to protect their children, not competing recommendations issued through political processes.”
This order echoes an earlier Trump administration effort in January 2026 to reduce the number of recommended childhood vaccines from 18 to 11. That change was blocked by a federal judge in March 2026 after legal challenges from medical organizations including the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Sources
- PBS NewsHour — Trump’s August 10 executive order signing and statement on vaccine schedule changes
- BBC News — American Academy of Pediatrics statement calling order “dangerous,” CDC guidance on MMR vaccine safety, and expert commentary on measles outbreak risks
- CIDRAP (University of Minnesota) — Details on the executive order, expert warnings from medical leaders, and context on the measles outbreak
- CDC — Measles case counts (2,465 confirmed cases as of August 6, 2026) and vaccine safety data
