MMR vaccine would be broken into separate shots under order, putting a financial and logistical strain on families

Donald Trump has signed an executive order with plans for sweeping changes to the childhood vaccination schedule that would require that the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine to be broken into three separate shots, once it becomes available in the US.

The order recommends that all shots be given at separate medical visits, a frequent point Trump has made despite the safety, ease and lower costs of giving vaccines together.

The move is an attempt to undermine and override the changes made earlier this year to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) vaccination recommendations, which were halted by a federal judge. The CDC is the federal agency tasked with recommending vaccines, not the White House.