FILE-US Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (R) looks on as President Donald Trump speaks before signing an executive order calling for more research and flexibility on vaccines, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washi …
President Donald Trump announced an executive order earlier this week aimed at childhood vaccinations in the U.S. earlier this week that would require separating combination shots, including the measles, mumps and rubella, or MMR, vaccine into separate injections.
The Associated Press reported that appointments for that and other vaccinations should be spaced out whenever possible.
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For Trump’s plan to work, drug manufacturers would need to revive a schedule of individual vaccines that haven’t been promoted separately in the United States for years.
Trump on Monday signed an executive order requiring a childhood schedule of 11 vaccinations.
Trump's plan would require vaccine manufacturing to be revamped
Dig deeper:
According to The Associated Press, President Donald Trump's executive order calls for federal officials to develop within 90 days plans for breaking up the MMR shot and spacing out other vaccines.
However, pharmaceutical scientists and former regulators contend that those revisions would take years and require drug manufacturers to spend millions of dollars on new studies and manufacturing facilities.
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Organizations may also have to show the safety of new manufacturing facilities and guidance, given that individual measles shots haven't been widely produced in the U.S. for 50 years.
Right now, there are no individual vaccines in the U.S. for measles, mumps or rubella. Every vaccine approved for those viruses by the Food and Drug Administration is combination shots.
The AP reported that the White House and the FDA can’t compel drugmakers to create and seek approval for new vaccines. And companies have little financial incentive to develop individual versions of vaccines they already sell in combination shots.
Furthermore, only state governments have the legal authority to require vaccinations for schoolchildren. Trump’s order recommends that states consider updating their legislation to reflect the Trump administration’s path.
Parents would have to make multiple trips to the doctor
Big picture view:
The MMR shot is currently delivered in two doses — the first at the age of 1 and the second dose after age 4.
According to The Associated Press, dividing the shot into its three separate parts would mean six office visits and soaring costs for families. And spacing out other shots for pertussis and other infectious diseases might multiply the number of visits many more times.
The Source: Information for this story was provided by The Associated Press and previous FOX Local reporting. This story was reported from Washington, D.C.