Trump Proposes Single-Antigen Vaccines, Restructures Schedule

President Donald Trump signed an executive order to overhaul the federal childhood vaccine framework, proposing to separate the MMR vaccine into three single-disease shots and to administer vaccines across separate visits where possible. The order urges the Health and Human Services Department to develop plans for single-antigen vaccines that are not currently licensed in the United States and to reorganize vaccines into core recommendations and categories for higher-risk groups with shared decision-making. It also urges states to review school-enrollment vaccine requirements, acknowledging state authority over mandates. Public health experts criticized the plan as lacking scientific backing and warned that spacing out vaccines could raise the risk of outbreaks, especially amid reports of one of the worst measles outbreaks in decades. Standalone MMR shots do not exist in the U.S. today and would require regulatory approval and manufacturing, complicating implementation as states retain control over vaccination mandates. The move drew mixed reactions within the Republican camp and among public health professionals, with some lawmakers and doctors urging adherence to established science and medical guidance.