Overview
- The White House issued an executive order on Aug. 10 that directs HHS to narrow the federal routine childhood vaccine list, promote spacing of shots and pursue separate measles, mumps and rubella vaccines instead of the combined MMR.
- State leaders in Michigan and California have formally refused to change their school immunization rules or recommended schedules and said the order does not alter state law or current requirements.
- U.S. measles cases have surged to roughly 2,566 confirmed infections this year and kindergarten MMR coverage has fallen to about 92.4%, a level experts say is below the roughly 95% needed to prevent community spread.
- Major medical groups, public-health officials and pediatricians say there is no credible evidence linking vaccines to autism and that splitting or spacing combination shots would raise the risk of children leaving the series incomplete.
- Manufacturing and regulatory hurdles mean single-antigen measles, mumps and rubella shots are not available now and reintroducing them would likely take years, while the order’s referral of the matter to the Justice Department signals more legal and political conflict ahead.