RFK Jrs hand-picked CDC advisory panel recommends against combo vaccine for kids

Health Secretary Robert F.Kennedy Jr.’s overhauled vaccine panel voted on Thursday to no longer recommend a combination shot protecting against chickenpox, measles, mumps and rubella for young children. In an 8-3 vote, with one member abstaining, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) decided against recommending the MMRV vaccine for children under the age of 4. The panel, which advises the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on which vaccines to recommend to the American public, said children younger than 4 should instead be immunized for varicella (the virus that causes chickenpox) separately from a combined shot for measles, mumps and rubella (MMR). Concerns over the rare risk of fever-induced seizures related to MMRV vaccines were brought up by some members of the panel. Committee member Dr.

Cody Meissner, who voted to continue recommending the MMRV vaccine for young children, described so-called “febrile seizures” as “a very frightening experience” for parents during the ACIP meeting. In 2009, the panel considered data related to seizure risks and the MMRV vaccine and determined that either a combination shot or separate MMR and chickenpox shots were acceptable for the first dose – but separate doses were preferable. Information presented during Thursday’s meeting showed that the vast majority of parents (85%) already opt to give their children separate shots for the first dose. A follow-up vote on whether to extend the new and more restrictive recommendation to the Vaccines for Children (VFC) program, which provides low-income families access to shots, led to some confusion. “If we vote no on this, we’re essentially saying there will be different recommendations for children who get the vaccine through VFC, compared to children who do not,” Meissner said, according to CNN. The panel ended up voting against changing the previous MMRV recommendation for VFC, in another 8-3 vote. ACIP delayed a vote on ...