The Guardian view on Trump’s MMR executive order: endangering the children he claims to care about
The president’s empty advice that children should receive separate jabs against measles, mumps and rubella will only lead to less take-up by parents
TL;DR
- US President Donald Trump suggested offering separate vaccines for measles, mumps, and rubella instead of the combined MMR vaccine.
- The proposed individual vaccines are not currently licensed or widely available in the US and UK.
- Pharmaceutical companies have stated that no published scientific evidence supports splitting the MMR vaccine.
- The move is compared to the 1998 advice of Andrew Wakefield, which led to decreased MMR vaccination rates and an increase in measles cases.
- Concerns are raised that Trump's proposal, along with RFK Jr.'s agenda to shrink the vaccine schedule, promotes vaccine hesitancy and endangers children.