Trump cites unproven autism risk in attack on childhood vaccines
The proposed changes would mean parents would have to make more trips to the doctor to get the same protection against diseases for their young children.
U.S. President Donald Trump signs an executive order calling for more research and flexibility on vaccines, alongside U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (R) and Jayme Leagh Franklin (L), founder of The Conservateur, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on Monday. | AFP-JIJI
BLOOMBERG
Aug 11, 2026
President Donald Trump renewed his administration’s efforts to dismantle the childhood vaccination schedule with a direct attack on the measles shot, returning to a politically unpopular issue and making unproven scientific claims just months ahead of the midterm elections.
Trump issued an executive order that recommends breaking up the combined measles, mumps and rubella vaccine into individual shots on Monday. Once-standard immunizations to prevent hepatitis B, COVID-19 and the flu would no longer be universally endorsed. And immunizations would be divided into three categories — and given during separate medical visits — adding time and complexity to newborn medical care.
If implemented, the changes would mean parents would have to make more trips to the doctor to get the same protection against diseases for their young children.
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