In brief
President Donald Trump has signed an executive order aimed at reducing the number of childhood vaccines required and advocating for separating the MMR shots into distinct visits. The administration claims that children historically received fewer vaccines and ties vaccine reductions to claims of declining autism rates—a stance widely debunked by scientific studies. While the federal government cannot override state school immunisation laws, the order signals a shift in public health messaging and fuels ongoing controversy among medical experts and advocacy groups.
President Donald Trump has signed an executive order that calls for fewer childhood vaccines and recommends splitting the mumps, measles and rubella (MMR) shots.
“Decades ago, children received only a small fraction of the vaccines required today,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. “People were healthier then and the high rates of autism observed now did not exist.”
The order follows the Trump administration’s long‑standing promotion of a discredited link between MMR vaccines and autism, a claim repeatedly refuted by extensive scientific research.
The federal government lacks authority to enforce vaccine schedules, as school‑attendance requirements are set by states. Nevertheless, the order signals a shift in the administration’s public‑health messaging.
According to the proclamation, the child‑hood immunisation plan will now contain 11 core vaccinations: measles, mumps, rubella, diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, Haemophilus influenzae type B, pneumococcal disease, human papillomavirus, and varicella.
Trump added that the rollout will involve “a series of visits to the doctor,” effectively spacing schedules rather than administering vaccines in a single appointment.
