WASHINGTON D.C. – October 11, 2025 – Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), has signaled the Measles, Mumps, and Rubella (MMR) vaccine as the next major target in his administration’s overhaul of federal immunization policy.
The move was underscored by a statement from Acting CDC Director Jim O’Neill, an RFK Jr. appointee, who publicly called on vaccine manufacturers to discontinue the combined MMR shot and instead develop “safe monovalent vaccines,” or separate shots for each disease. The call echoes previous anti-vaccine rhetoric suggesting that the combination shot “overwhelms” a child’s immune system—a claim widely rejected by the scientific community.
The development follows the recent decision by the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP)—now composed of Kennedy-selected members—to change its guidance on the combined MMRV (Measles, Mumps, Rubella, and Varicella/Chickenpox) vaccine, effectively separating it from the MMR vaccine.
The Focus on MMR
The demand to “break up” the MMR vaccine represents a significant escalation in the Trump administration’s dismantling of long-standing, evidence-based vaccine policy:
- Scientific Consensus Ignored: The current MMR vaccine has been in use for over 50 years and is credited with nearly eliminating measles in the U.S. Medical experts maintain there is no scientific basis to suggest the combined shot is less safe than administering the vaccines individually.
- Logistical Hurdles: There are currently no monovalent (single-shot) licensed vaccines for measles, mumps, or rubella in the U.S. Developing and manufacturing new versions would be a costly, time-consuming process that would drastically complicate the standard childhood immunization schedule.
- Public Health Risk: Public health officials and pediatricians warn that separating the vaccine into multiple shots would increase the number of clinic visits required for full immunization, likely leading to more parents missing subsequent shots and a subsequent drop in vaccination rates—fueling the risk of a resurgence of once-controlled diseases like measles.
Broader Assault on Childhood Immunizations
The focus on the MMR vaccine is the latest in a series of controversial policy shifts under Secretary Kennedy:
- Hepatitis B: Kennedy’s revamped ACIP recently dropped a planned vote that would have delayed the routine hepatitis B vaccine dose for newborns, a policy widely credited with a 97% decline in acute hepatitis B among Americans under 19.
- COVID-19 Vaccine: The CDC has already changed its guidance to frame COVID-19 vaccination as an “individual-based decision,” ending the universal recommendation for all ages.
- The ‘Autism’ Agenda: Secretary Kennedy has continued to promote scientifically disproven links between vaccines and autism, and recently pushed to add autism to the list of conditions covered by the federal Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, a move medical experts condemn as validating misinformation.
Six former U.S. Surgeons General from both Democratic and Republican administrations recently published a joint warning that Kennedy’s actions are “endangering the health of the nation” and are eroding public trust in crucial public health institutions.
As the administration prepares to push for new manufacturing and regulatory guidelines, the medical community is bracing for what is expected to be a contentious battle over one of the most successful public health achievements of the 20th century.
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