Donald Trump Orders Splitting MMR Vaccine Into Three Shots, New York Health Commissioner Rejects

President Donald Trump signed an executive order calling for childhood vaccine recommendations that include splitting the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine into three separate shots and administering all childhood immunizations at separate appointments whenever possible.

“develop a plan within 90 days to make separate measles, mumps and rubella vaccines available”

RiverheadLOCAL

NBC News reported that dividing the combination measles-mumps-rubella vaccine into three separate shots would be likely to cost millions of dollars and take years to accomplish, making it impossible to follow Trump’s directive to break up the immunizations into visits at three doctor’s offices.

ABC News

In New York, state Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald rejected the call to separate MMR shots, saying in a statement Tuesday afternoon that “This Executive Order doesn’t change New York State’s immunization requirements or recommendations,” and warned that “no new research was presented.”

The order also directs the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to develop a plan within 90 days to make separate measles, mumps and rubella vaccines available while maintaining access to combination vaccines, according to RiverheadLOCAL.

Medical groups and public health officials pushed back on the executive order, with the American Academy of Pediatrics president Dr. Andrew Racine telling reporters that the announcement spreads uncertainty, fear and confusion where “there doesn’t need to be any of that.”

The BBC reported that Dr William Schaffner of the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville said the increased number of visits would be harder for parents and providers to track and would add to the expense without any scientific benefit.

ABC7 Los Angeles

In a statement Tuesday afternoon, Dr. James McDonald said, “To be clear: no new research was presented,” and argued that the MMR vaccine has been protecting children for over 55 years.

Sen. Bill Cassidy, a physician, condemned the order as “wrong” and wrote on X that “Vaccines are overwhelmingly safe. Vaccines are effective. Vaccines DO NOT cause autism.”

The dispute over splitting MMR is tied to concerns about measles transmission, with CNBC reporting that the U.S. has logged its highest number of measles cases in decades this year and that Trump’s rhetoric and recommendations could further undermine public confidence in the safety of the MMR vaccine.

“no published scientific evidence that shows any benefit in separating the combination MMR vaccine”

BBC

AP News said public health experts raised concerns that spacing out shots as Trump suggests can lead to an increased risk that children become infected with a vaccine-preventable disease before returning for another visit.

In its coverage of the order, BBC said the CDC recommends two doses of the combined MMR vaccine starting with the first dose at 12-15 months and the second between the ages of four and six, and it stated there is “no published scientific evidence that shows any benefit” in separating the combination into three individual shots.

The executive order also includes a broader shift in federal guidance, with RiverheadLOCAL saying it directs the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to develop a plan within 90 days and calls for states to consider updating school vaccination requirements, while New York said it will continue to be guided by the science.