NEW YORK: A US medical panel reconfigured under presidential influence has implemented its first modification to the standard childhood immunisation schedule.
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices voted to advise against administering the combination MMRV shot to children under four years old.
Panel members recommended offering separate measles, mumps, rubella and chicken pox injections instead of the combined vaccine.
This decision reverses established medical guidance despite the combination shot carrying only a small risk of temporary, non-life-threatening febrile seizures.
Sean O’Leary of the American Academy of Pediatrics expressed confusion about revisiting this settled debate during a journalist briefing.
“The only thing I can think of is it’s another strategy to scare parents,“ he stated regarding the panel’s motivations.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr’s appointment led to the dismissal of all previous ACIP members in favour of figures sharing his vaccine-skeptical views.
Medical professionals attending the meeting criticised the committee’s methodology and data interpretation during discussions.
Jason Goldman noted the panel was “looking at very small data points and misrepresenting how it works in the real world.”
The committee created confusion by voting to maintain federal coverage for the combination shot while no longer recommending its use.
This contradictory decision establishes a patchwork system that health experts fear will sow parental confusion about immunisations.
Epidemiologist Syra Madad warned that the discussions “risk eroding protections we know work” for childhood health.
The panel postponed a highly anticipated vote on eliminating the standard practice of immunising newborns against Hepatitis B within 24 hours of birth.
Public health experts expressed alarm about potentially scrapping this proven protection against maternal transmission of the disease.
Adam Langer presented evidence showing swift vaccination prevents transmission of the incurable, highly contagious disease that causes liver damage.
O’Leary characterised the proposed Hepatitis B change as a “devastating decision” amid growing vaccine misinformation.
He declared the reconfigured committee “illegitimate” due to its departure from scientific consensus and evidence-based practices.
ACIP chair Martin Kulldorff opened the meeting by insisting the panel was “pro-vaccine” and would welcome scientific critique.
Infectious disease physician Wilbur Chen dismissed this stance as disingenuous given the panel’s approach to evidence.
“They do not intend to debate using sound, rigorous, reproducible science,“ he told AFP regarding the committee’s methods.
The panel will reconvene to consider additional changes including recommendations for COVID-19 vaccinations and funding. – AFP