The Claim:
During the press conference, the President also argued that vaccines should not be made to prevent more than one disease. Trump said, “This is based on what I feel. The mumps, measles–and the three should be taken separately. And it seems to be that when you mix them, there could be a problem. So, there’s no downside in taking them separately. In fact, they think it’s better. So let it be separate.”
The Facts:
Combination vaccines, like MMRV (measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella) or Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis), are made to protect children against several diseases with fewer shots.
Instead of needing a separate injection for each illness, one shot can cover more than one, which saves time and helps children stay on track with the recommended schedule. Missed or delayed vaccines can leave children vulnerable to serious illness. Fewer shots also mean less stress for both kids and parents.
Extensive research shows that combination vaccines are just as safe and effective as giving shots separately. Children today receive far fewer antigens to protect against more diseases than kids did even 30 years ago, when the vaccine schedule used 3,000 antigens to protect against 8 diseases by age two. Today, the vaccine schedule uses 305 antigens to protect against 14 diseases in the same timeframe.
To put this in perspective, children fight off 2,000-6,000 antigens every day just by eating, breathing, and playing.
Combination vaccines simplify the schedule and reduce the number of shots. This helps schools and communities stay safer since fewer unvaccinated children mean fewer chances for diseases like measles, whooping cough, or chickenpox to spread.
Explore these subjects
Glossary words on this page
- Antigen
- Foreign substance (e.g., bacterium or virus) that is capable of causing an immune response in the body.
- Combination vaccine
- Combination vaccines take two or more vaccines that could be given individually and put them into one shot or oral dose.
- Diphtheria
- A highly contagious and sometimes fatal bacterial disease that causes mucous membrane inflammation, making breathing and swallowing difficult.
- Measles
- Measles is the most contagious viral illness.
- Mumps
- Mumps is another contagious viral illness that affects the glands around the ears, causing puffy cheeks and a swollen, painful jaw.
- Pertussis (whooping cough)
- Pertussis, or Whooping Cough, is a bacterial infection that causes violent, uncontrollable coughing and difficulty breathing.
- Rubella (German Measles)
- A viral infection with a red rash, enlarged neck lymph nodes, mild fever, and headache.
- Varicella (Chickenpox)
- Chickenpox is a very contagious disease caused by the varicella-zoster virus.
Disclaimer
Science is always evolving and our understanding of these topics may have evolved too since this was originally posted. Be sure to check out our most recent posts and browse the latest Just the Facts Topics for the latest.
Just the Facts Newsletter:
Correcting this week's disinformation
Sign up to get a weekly look at the latest vaccination facts as we debunk the latest false vaccination claims making the rounds on the internet.