Trump to order new childhood vaccine schedule with spaced-out shots

President Donald Trump is set to sign an executive order on Monday that would overhaul federal recommendations for childhood vaccinations, according to a White House fact sheet. The order directs the Department of Health and Human Services to revise the standard immunization schedule so that each vaccine is administered during its own medical visit, rather than in combination.

The directive also calls for separating the combined measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine into three individual shots, each given at a different appointment. However, standalone vaccines for these three diseases are not currently licensed or available in the United States, meaning the recommendation would require new product development or regulatory changes.

The order further instructs health agencies to expand vaccine-related research. The move comes as schools across the country begin their academic year and as the U.S. grapples with a measles outbreak that public health officials warn could strip the nation of its measles elimination status.

Public health experts have voiced concern that spacing out vaccines, as the order proposes, could leave children vulnerable to preventable diseases for longer periods between visits. They also note that the current combination schedule is backed by extensive clinical trials and ongoing safety monitoring.

Trump has long suggested, without evidence, that the number or timing of childhood vaccines might be linked to autism spectrum disorder. Decades of scientific research and numerous studies have consistently found no such connection. Federal vaccine safety systems continue to track adverse events for years after shots are introduced.