An advisory committee of the American health service CDC voted on Thursday for advice to increase the age limit for the combined vaccine against measles, mumps, red dog and chickenpox. The step fits in with the aim of Minister of Health Robert F. Kennedy to revise the American vaccination policy, Reuters reports.
The group, which advises the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on vaccination programs in the US, advises not to allow parents to administer the combination prick before the child is 4 years old. Currently, children in the US can get the vaccine from twelve months.
According to the committee, younger children would run an increased risk of febrile seizures. The committee recommends that separate vaccinations must be given for measles-bof-red dog (mmr) and chickenpox.
The vote is the first of Kennedy’s twelve members’ advisory committee for immunization practices. Many members have spoken out against the use of vaccines. Five of them were appointed this week.
Kennedy, an antivaxer for years, is working on reforming the US vaccination policy, including limiting access to COVID-19 vaccinations. He fired the highest public health officer in the country and supports exemptions from the state level of vaccination. According to Kennedy, these measures are needed to restore confidence in American public health agencies.
A spokesperson for Pharmaceist Merck, producer of the combination vaccine, said that the vote of the advisory committee “took place against the background of a lack of new scientific data and in contrast to years of evidence that the current vaccination schedule confirms.”
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The American Healthcare Minister Robrt F. Kenndey Jr. Thursday in Washington.
Photo Jim Lo Scalzo / EPA