Separating the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine could decrease access for Colorado parents

President Trump's August 10, 2026 executive order calls for separating the combined MMR vaccine into individual shots, with Trump claiming at the signing that the combined vaccine could be “quite lethal” while separate doses would be “not at all lethal but just very effective,” claims the CDC says lack scientific support. A sociologist who has studied Colorado parents for nearly two decades notes no separate measles, mumps or rubella vaccines have been manufactured in the U.S. since 2008.

Because the MMR vaccine is unpatented, its two remaining manufacturers, Merck and GSK, have little financial incentive to spend years and millions rebuilding a separate-shot supply chain. Meanwhile Colorado's measles vaccination rate among kindergartners sits at 87.7%, the sixth-lowest in the country and well below the 95% threshold for community immunity.

The piece argues the order, rather than expanding choice, could burden pediatricians already struggling with vaccine costs, potentially pushing more of them to stop stocking vaccines altogether and further limiting parental options.

The full dispatch is available from the source below.