US President Donald Trump recent move of overhauling childhood vaccine recommendations has sparked debates across the globe. Several US states have opposed to it too, refusing to follow Washington’s lead.Trump signed the executive order on August 10, calling for federal childhood vaccine recommendations to be narrowed to vaccines routinely recommended for children against 11 diseases, down from 18 at the end of 2024. It also calls for the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine to be given as three separate shots and says childhood vaccines should, where feasible, be administered during separate medical visits.The order also asks states to review their school vaccination requirements. But there is an important question here: states, not the federal government, generally set vaccine requirements for children attending schools.Which States Are Refusing To Follow Trump’s Directives?At least 29 states and Washington, DC, had already rejected at least some federal vaccine guidance, choosing instead to rely on recommendations from medical organisations such as the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).Among the states that have opposed Trump's order and maintained independent, medicine-based vaccine policies are Colorado, Maine and Washington.Colorado has gone further by passing legislation allowing the state to rely on organisations including the AAP, American Academy of Family Physicians and American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists when setting its childhood vaccine policy, rather than depending on federal CDC directive.Maine has also said it will continue following guidance from established medical and public-health organisations instead of Trump's order. Washington state officials said its school vaccine requirements have not changed for the upcoming academic year and remain based on recommendations from trusted medical and public-health experts.This means Trump's order does not automatically change every child's vaccination schedule across the United States. The legal and political battle is likely to continue state by state.Also read: What Trump’s Childhood Vaccine Order Means: When Will It Take Effect?Trump's MRI Proposal Sparked ControversyThe MMR vaccine has been used as a combined vaccine for several decades. Trump’s order calls for separate measles, mumps and rubella vaccines, once they become available in the US.Public-health experts have warned that separating vaccines could mean more appointments, higher costs and more chances for children to contract these infections as they may remain unvaccinated between doses. The World Health Organization has also defended established immunisation schedules, saying they are based on decades of scientific evidence and proven clinical trialsThe timing is particularly controversial as the US has already recorded 2,465 confirmed measles cases in 2026 as of August 6, according to the CDC.Also read: Kennedy Announces Food Policy Reforms Under Trump’s MAHA Agenda: What Has Been Proposed?Countries React To Trump's Vaccine Recommendation The UK has taken a stand against Trump's newly proposed vaccine recommendation. On August 12, the UK's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) reaffirmed that childhood vaccines are safe and effective and said there is no evidence that vaccines cause autism.“The benefits of vaccination are endorsed by the NHS and all major UK public health and paediatric bodies,” said Dr Alison Cave, chief safety officer at the MHRA. She urged parents to follow NHS vaccination has an guidance.The UK's routine schedule continues to use combination vaccines, including the six-in-one vaccine, and since January 2026 has included a universal two-dose chickenpox programme through the combined MMRV vaccine.