On Friday, President Trump doubled down on calling for changes to the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine. “BREAK UP THE MMR SHOT INTO THREE TOTALLY SEPARATE SHOTS (NOT MIXED!),” he wrote on his Truth Social account.
Currently, parents are offered either the MMR vaccine or a one-shot combination of measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella (chickenpox) for their children. The combined, quadrivalent shot comes with a slight increased risk of febrile seizures if given before age 4, so the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and many medical experts recommend that physicians administer two shots if possible. But there is scant evidence to suggest dividing the MMR vaccine up further — and spreading the shots out over time — provides any health or safety benefit. And the added burden of going to the doctor’s office multiple times risks a decline in vaccination coverage.
