Trump signs order to narrow childhood vaccine schedule, split MMR shot

US President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday to overhaul the country’s childhood vaccination policy, including reducing the number of vaccines recommended for all children and separating the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine into three shots, Reuters reported.

"Effective immediately, my administration is recognising gold-standard childhood vaccine recommendations for only 11 core vaccinations against the most serious and dangerous diseases, along with the MMR, which hopefully will be split up,” Trump said at a White House signing ceremony.

Under the revised approach, vaccines would be divided into three categories: those recommended for all children, those aimed at high-risk groups and those subject to individual discussions between doctors and parents. The administration has sought to reduce universal recommendations from around 18 vaccines to 11.