Trump signed an executive order calling for changes to the U.S. childhood vaccination schedule, including offering separate measles, mumps and rubella shots instead of the combined MMR vaccine, which he called a "major victory for parents rights, religious and constitutional rights, and for the gold standard science."
University of Alberta health law expert Timothy Caulfield called the move a disaster with no supporting evidence, noting the claim that multiple vaccines overload children's immune systems is a common but unsubstantiated anti-vaccine talking point. He warned that requiring three separate appointments instead of one could itself increase vaccine hesitancy by adding a barrier for busy parents.
Caulfield said the timing is especially bad given ongoing global measles outbreaks; Canada lost its measles elimination status in November 2025 after sustained transmission, largely among unvaccinated communities. The World Health Organization pushed back on Trump's announcement, defending the existing scientific process behind childhood immunization schedules.
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