What does the CDC panel vote on childhood vaccine changes mean?

2 weeks ago

Will Stone summarizes nan CDC advisory committee's rollback of 2 vaccines for kids and nan restrictions connected nan COVID-19 vaccine.

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

It was chaotic and astatine times tense arsenic a vaccine sheet that advises nan national authorities and met successful Atlanta this week. The committee guides nan Centers for Disease Control and Prevention connected who should get vaccines and when, and they've been embroiled successful contention nether nan activity of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. NPR's Will Stone spent nan past 2 days watching nan gathering and joins america now. Will, acknowledgment for being pinch us.

WILL STONE, BYLINE: Thanks for having me.

SIMON: Did nan committee make immoderate changes to nan vaccine schedule?

STONE: They did. The biggest actual alteration was a determination to extremity children nether 4 from getting a operation changeable for measles, mumps, rubella and chickenpox. This is nan MMRV vaccine, Scott. And astatine rumor is immoderate information from nan CDC showing a somewhat accrued consequence of fever-related seizures successful immoderate infants aft getting that shot. Now, nan immense mostly of children do not get this azygous shot. Instead, they get nan MMR vaccine and a abstracted 1 to screen chickenpox. And representatives from aesculapian groups who were astatine nan gathering said nan changes were unnecessary, could limit access. But ultimately, nan committee went up and decided to limit nan shots anyways.

SIMON: Was this a surprise, Will? 'Cause there's been speculation we could spot overmuch bigger changes successful that policy.

STONE: Yeah, that's right. Remember, Kennedy fired each nan existing members of this influential vaccine committee and handpicked nan replacements, arsenic immoderate of them person a history of being captious of vaccines. And location was a push to region nan proposal that children get nan hepatitis B vaccine correct aft they're born. This has been successful spot for a agelong time, and CDC scientists astatine nan gathering stress it's helped trim rates of this illness dramatically. The debate, I would say, was conscionable 1 illustration of nan broader tensions present betwixt nan aesculapian constitution and these caller committee members. Take a perceive to Dr. Flor Munoz, who is not connected nan committee but said during nan meeting. She's pinch nan Infectious Diseases Society of America.

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FLOR MUNOZ: Why? Why are we addressing this hepatitis B vaccine recommendation? Is location really a logic that nan committee tin supply for making a change?

STONE: You heard immoderate variety of this mobility passim nan two-day gathering from galore experts who were there. Now, successful nan lawsuit of nan hepatitis B vaccine, that connection did extremity up failing aft nan committee voted to array it to get much information.

SIMON: Any changes made to nan COVID-19 vaccine?

STONE: There were immoderate changes, though, nan committee yet backed distant from its astir arguable connection that called for states to require a medicine for nan COVID-19 vaccine. There were a bid of votes, and I'll person to say, Scott, nan full process was beautiful convoluted. For astir of nan day, it wasn't clear what nan committee would moreover beryllium voting on. In nan end, they decided that anyone complete six months aged tin get nan shot, but they did telephone for patients to speak pinch a clinician astir nan risks and benefits.

They besides called connected nan accusation sheets astir nan vaccines to see much accusation astir imaginable risks and uncertainty astir nan effectiveness of nan vaccines. Even though CDC scientists stock information showing nan vaccines still connection protection against terrible disease, location was sizeable clip devoted to presentations astir information concerns, including immoderate unproven theories astir links to cancer. All of this was really troubling to nan aesculapian experts there, who interest it will substance much doubts and disorder astir nan vaccines.

SIMON: Well, you've monitored a batch of these meetings complete nan years. How was this 1 different?

STONE: Well, it was striking to spot really galore experts representing awesome aesculapian organizations person really been sidelined from nan process successful ways that you did not spot nether erstwhile administrations. Here's Dr. Sandra Fryhofer. She said connected behalf of nan American Medical Association connected Friday up of nan COVID-19 votes.

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SANDRA FRYHOFER: And it's troubling to spot nan erosion of nan committee's integrity. We're concerned astir really vaccine recommendations are being developed by this caller panel. Data's being selectively utilized to warrant circumstantial conclusions, alternatively than considering each of nan disposable evidence.

STONE: So this gathering underscored nan turbulent, highly politicized quality of vaccine argumentation nether nan activity of Health Secretary Kennedy, which is now astatine likelihood pinch nan aesculapian establishment.

SIMON: NPR's Will Stone. Thanks truthful much.

STONE: Thank you.

Accuracy and readiness of NPR transcripts whitethorn vary. Transcript matter whitethorn beryllium revised to correct errors aliases lucifer updates to audio. Audio connected npr.org whitethorn beryllium edited aft its original broadcast aliases publication. The charismatic grounds of NPR’s programming is nan audio record.