President’s Executive Order seeks to overhaul childhood vaccines

President Trump signed an executive order revamping the federal government’s recommended childhood vaccine schedule. Among changes, the order shrinks the number of universally recommended vaccines for children from 17 to 11 and calls for splitting up the measles, mumps and rubella shot. However, the order said the Health and Human Services department would guarantee availability of the combined vaccine. Separate measles, mumps and rubella vaccines for children are unavailable in the U.S.; Merck said it could take up to 10 years to bring separate vaccines to market. Professional groups said the order would increase vaccine hesitancy, with the American Academy of Pediatrics saying delaying or skipping shots is risky as U.S. measles cases approach 2,500, the most in 35 years. (MedPage Today article, 8/10/26)