President Donald Trump signed an executive order that trims the U.S. childhood immunization schedule to 11 core vaccines and mandates that most shots be given in separate doctor visits, including up to five appointments for a typical 1‑year‑old. The directive signals a federal push to reshape vaccine timing even as state school‑entry requirements remain unchanged.
The order, drafted with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., directs HHS to develop single‑antigen measles, mumps and rubella vaccines and to advance research on spaced‑out schedules. It echoes the CDC’s January proposal to cut recommended shots from 17 to 11, a move rejected by more than two dozen states that continue to follow the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Public‑health officials warn that spreading doses over multiple visits could increase missed appointments, lower overall coverage and exacerbate the current measles resurgence, which is at a 35‑year high. Insurers have said the shots will remain covered, but separate visits may raise co‑pay burdens. Pediatric groups argue the change could heighten vaccine hesitancy and undermine herd immunity without any demonstrated safety benefit.
While the executive order reasserts the CDC’s 11‑vaccine target, the agency’s proposal was blocked by a federal judge and remains unimplemented in many states. Vaccine manufacturers also note that single‑antigen MMR products are not currently licensed in the United States and could require more than a decade to develop, contrary to the order’s implication of imminent availability.