Vaccine-makers unlikely to split MMR shots despite Trump's push

Key Points:

• President Donald Trump's executive order calls for separating combination childhood vaccines, such as the MMR vaccine, into individual shots and spacing out appointments, aiming to give parents more control over vaccination schedules.
• Public health experts and vaccine manufacturers warn that unbundling vaccines would pose significant financial and logistical challenges, including the need for new manufacturing plants, extensive safety studies, and increased healthcare visits for parents.
• Studies show combination vaccines improve vaccination rates and protection before school age, and experts state there is no scientific justification for the proposed changes, which could reduce vaccination coverage and increase costs.
• The order is not legally binding, and drugmakers have little incentive to produce separate vaccines, making meaningful implementation unlikely; vaccine requirements remain under state authority rather than federal control.
• Health officials and researchers emphasize that the current combination vaccines are safe and effective, and critics view the executive order as a misguided public health policy lacking scientific support.