Trump split MMR vaccine plan faces years of hurdles, experts say
Trump’s order recommends separate MMR shots, but the products are not licensed in the U.S. and experts warn of added delays.
By Sal Moretti · Money Reporter
2 min read
President Donald Trump’s plan to split the MMR vaccine calls for breaking the combined measles, mumps and rubella shot into separate immunizations and giving childhood vaccines at separate visits. The Aug. 10 executive order is a recommendation, not an immediate change to available shots or to school rules, the BBC and CIDRAP report.
That distinction is key. States, rather than the federal government, set vaccines required for school attendance, according to the BBC. And the individual measles, mumps and rubella vaccines proposed by Trump are not currently licensed or approved by the Food and Drug Administration in the United States, CIDRAP reports.
Can Trump split the MMR vaccine into separate shots?
Not quickly, according to the experts cited by CNBC. Separate products would need manufacturer backing, clinical development and trials, FDA approval, and production and distribution systems. Dr. Andrew Racine, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, told CNBC the process would probably take more than a decade.
Dr. William Moss of Johns Hopkins said vaccine makers have little reason to make that investment. Merck and GSK manufacture MMR vaccines, CNBC reports, while CBS News says standalone measles vaccines are not available in the U.S.
The present regimen uses two combined doses: the first at 12 to 15 months and the second at ages 4 to 6, CNBC reports. Separating all three components could mean six doses across those ages, with more appointments for families and more work for medical providers.
- More appointments can mean greater cost and scheduling barriers, particularly for families who must take time off work or face limited access to care, public health professor Neil Maniar told CNBC.
- Experts told CNBC, the BBC and CIDRAP that extra visits create more chances for children to miss or delay doses, leaving them susceptible to preventable illnesses for longer.
- Merck said evidence indicates combination vaccines improve completion of recommended doses and adherence to vaccination schedules, CNBC reports.
Trump said the combined shot could be lethal and linked it to autism, according to CNBC and the BBC. The reports say he offered no scientific evidence for those claims. The CDC says there is no published scientific evidence that separating MMR offers a benefit, the BBC reports, and multiple studies have found no connection between MMR vaccination and autism.
Doctors say the timing of childhood vaccines is based on when a child’s immune system is ready and when protection against particular diseases is needed. The proposal could still shape public debate and state policy discussions, but it does not itself create separate MMR shots or override state school-entry requirements.
This story draws on original reporting from CNBC.