A CDC advisory panel voted Thursday to alter its stance on the MMRV vaccine, which combines the measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine with a varicella, or chickenpox, vaccine. The group suggested that children under 4 should not routinely receive the combo shot due to a slightly increased risk of brief, generally harmless febrile seizures—spasms triggered by fevers, which sometimes follow vaccines, NBC News reports. The overall risk of febrile seizures related to the combo shot remains quite rare, ABC News reports.
The vote was 8-3, with one abstention. The recommendation doesn't block access to the MMRV vaccine for older kids, nor does it change the underlying vaccination schedule: children should still get their two doses against measles, mumps, and rubella at 12-15 months and 4-6 years, with chickenpox shots allowed at the same time. Most parents already opt to split the shots rather than use the combo, NPR reports.
The panel's new guidance must still be approved by Acting CDC Director Jim O'Neill, but the process has come under scrutiny. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a vocal vaccine skeptic, recently replaced much of the panel after alleging conflicts of interest. Five of the 12 committee members are newcomers, and several have raised doubts about vaccine safety—despite decades of supporting research.
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The Department of Health and Human Services says it will review insurance implications before a final decision. Some public health experts worry these policy shifts may erode trust in vaccines, particularly as childhood vaccination rates slip and exemptions rise nationwide. The panel is also set to vote on a possible delay to the first hepatitis B shot for infants, and will discuss updated COVID vaccines in the coming weeks.
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