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2h ago

Acting CDC Chief Endorses Splitting MMR Into Three Shots, Prompting Broad Health Pushback

Experts call the idea unsupported, with risks for on-time vaccination.

Sherry Andrews, right, holds 13-month-old Jaqi Herrera’s hand after administering the first MMR vaccine dose to Herrera at the City of Lubbock Health Department in Lubbock, Texas, on February 27.
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Overview

  • Acting CDC Director Jim O’Neill urged manufacturers on X to develop separate measles, mumps and rubella vaccines after President Trump called for the MMR to be “broken up.”
  • An HHS spokesperson said O’Neill favors three standalone vaccines, arguing they could reduce side effects and expand parental choice.
  • Merck, which makes the MMR vaccine, said no evidence shows a benefit to separating the doses and warned more injections could lead to delayed or missed immunizations.
  • Public health authorities, including the CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics, continue to recommend the combined shot, which studies show is as effective as separate doses without added serious side effects.
  • Separate U.S. monovalent vaccines are not available, and experts say creating them would take years with clinical trials and FDA review, as measles cases this year reached 1,544.