Washington, 11 August 2026 (dpa/MIA) - US President Donald Trump moved to sharply reduce recommended childhood vaccinations on Monday and called for combined vaccines to be split into separate shots given at different medical visits.

Under a new executive order, Trump's administration said it would only recognize vaccines against 11 diseases as core recommendations for all children. It was initially unclear whether the order would have an immediate impact. A similar overhaul was temporarily blocked by a federal court in March, while many vaccination rules are set by individual states.

Vaccines against hepatitis B, Covid-19 and influenza would no longer be routinely recommended for all children under the new policy. Parents could still choose to have their children receive all vaccines, Trump said when he signed the order at the White House. The administration said insurers would continue to cover the vaccinations.

Trump also called for the combined MMR vaccine against measles, mumps and rubella to be split into three separate shots given at different times. The vaccines could be "quite lethal" when given together, Trump said, adding that he had no evidence to support the claim when asked by a reporter.

Trump also linked the new policy to the debate over autism, saying that fewer vaccines given at greater intervals could potentially reduce the number of autism diagnoses.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says there is no scientific evidence that splitting the MMR vaccine provides additional benefits. Large scientific studies have found no causal link between vaccines and autism.

Separate measles, mumps and rubella vaccines are currently not available in the United States. Health experts warn that requiring additional medical visits could leave children unprotected for longer or lead to missed vaccinations.

Photo: EPA