Trump recommends splitting MMR vaccine

President Donald Trump signed an executive order on August 10, 2026, that recommends splitting the combined measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine into separate shots and reducing the number of federally recommended childhood vaccines from 18 to 11. The order also urges states to consider aligning their school entry requirements with the new, narrower list. In an interview on August 15, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. defended the order, claiming a recent study strongly supports the change and suggesting the current vaccine schedule may contribute to autism.

Kennedy said the study examines the timeline of the autism epidemic and is a synthesis of existing science. However, a search of major biomedical databases found no new, credible study supporting the separation of the MMR vaccine. Public health experts and vaccine scientists reviewed by journalists unanimously stated they were unaware of any such research. Dr. Paul Offit of Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia said there are no data suggesting a divided vaccine would be safer. He noted that splitting the dose would mean six shots instead of two, delaying protection and increasing the period of...