Latest news with #AdvisoryCommitteeonImmunizationPractice
Korea Herald
4 days ago
- Health
- Korea Herald
Kennedy's panel to discuss measles shot
WASHINGTON (Reuters) — US vaccine advisers will discuss recommendations for flu vaccines containing the preservative thimerosal and a combination measles shot for children this month, putting topics of concern to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. high on the public health agenda. Kennedy, who has a long history of sowing doubt over the safety of vaccines, contrary to scientific evidence, wrote a book in 2014 claiming that thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative, causes brain damage. He has also prominently promoted the idea that vaccines that combine shots against measles, mumps and rubella, as well as varicella are linked to autism. Repeated scientific studies have disproved both assertions. Since taking the role of top US health official under the Trump administration, Kennedy is changing vaccine policies for the American public. He recently asked for a review of all data including for the measles shot, by far the best way to prevent infection with the highly contagious and sometimes deadly virus. The panel, known as the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practice, is due to meet on June 25 and 26. It will vote on the safety of flu shots and discuss proposed recommendations for use of the combined MMRV vaccine for children under 5 years of age, according to a draft agenda on Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's website on Wednesday. While the seasonal flu shot was expected to be on the meeting agenda, neither the topic of thimerosal nor the MMRV vaccine was anticipated. The meeting agenda did not specify who will be presenting data on either subject. The Department of Health and Human Services declined to comment on the record on why topics were added to the agenda or who would be making presentations. "It's not clear why thimerosal is up for a vote or discussion, unless the goal is to repeat an old anti-vaccine trope that the data does not support — that thimerosal in vaccines is harmful — and use it as a messaging point," said Dorit Reiss, a vaccine law expert at UC Law San Francisco. The committee will also vote on use of RSV vaccines, but not the next COVID-19 boosters, as originally expected, according to the agenda. Other expected votes were also removed. "The reason for the discussion of MMRV is also unclear, and the fact that the presenter is (yet to be named) raises questions," Reiss said. "Also interesting is what is not on the schedule. Why is there no vote on COVID-19 vaccines with the fall season coming up, and questions about who should get boosters?" The agenda was posted after Kennedy abruptly fired all 17 ACIP members and named eight new advisers, including several who have advocated against vaccines. "It's disappointing to see scarce public health resources used to rehash settled science," said recently fired ACIP member Noel Brewer. "Substantial research across decades has shown the safety of thimerosal as a preservative in vaccination." Thimerosal has long been used in the United States in vials of medicines and vaccines that contain more than one dose, according to the CDC. Aside from minor reactions such as redness and swelling at the injection site, there is no evidence of harm caused by the low doses of thimerosal in vaccines, the agency says. Combination vaccines to prevent infection with measles, mumps and rubella viruses are marketed in the United States by Merck and GSK. Merck also sells the ProQuad shot that includes protection against those three viruses and varicella. For children under age 4 years, the CDC currently recommends that most receive a first dose of an MMR vaccine and a separate varicella shot. For the second dose, and for children over 4, the CDC says the MMRV vaccine is generally preferred over separate shots.
San Francisco Chronicle
12-06-2025
- Health
- San Francisco Chronicle
Vaccines could get more expensive and harder to access after RFK Jr. purged a CDC panel
U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. shook up a key federal vaccine advisory committee this week, ousting its sitting 17 members Monday and naming eight new individuals Wednesday, including ones known for anti-vaccine views and for spreading misinformation. The changes could potentially impact vaccine cost and availability in California and the uncertainty is making families anxious, experts say. 'I've been having several conversations every day with families who are trying to get their children vaccinated early because parents are worried that these vaccines will not be available for their children in the near future,' said Eric Ball, chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics in California. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practice provides vaccine recommendations to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The group's guidance doesn't just have medical implications; it also has financial consequences for people seeking vaccinations. 'Under the Affordable Care Act, if ACIP recommends a vaccine, insurance companies have to cover it,' said Dorit Reiss, a professor of law at UC College of the Law San Francisco, who specializes in vaccine-related law and policies. The federally funded Vaccines for Children program also covers recommended vaccines for uninsured and underinsured children, Reiss said. Potentially, the new ACIP members could alter recommendations, which would in turn affect coverage for vaccines. Nothing is certain, however: 'We don't know how this (newly) constituted committee will vote,' Reiss said. The advisory committee is scheduled to meet on June 25 to review scientific data and vote on vaccine recommendations. If problems do arise around vaccine access, there could be additional issues for California's immunization mandates for schools. 'How can you mandate a vaccine if people can't access it?' Reiss said. The sweeping changes to ACIP, established in 1964, are unprecedented, experts say. 'I can't even think of a time when an individual member has been removed from the committee,' said Yvonne Maldonado, a professor of global health and infectious diseases at Stanford and one of the 17 experts removed from the vaccine advisory committee this week. 'We are really in uncharted territory here, in terms of the membership changing so radically and so quickly,' Maldonado said. Maldonado explained that the existing process for evaluating vaccine safety and effectiveness is 'incredibly rigorous,' with numerous safety checkpoints. 'Vaccines are foundational to public health,' Maldonado said. 'They save millions of lives.' Reiss added that the United States has a system that allows people who experience problems due to a CDC-recommended vaccine to seek compensation from the government. This limits the liability of vaccine companies. If new advisory committee members remove current vaccine recommendations, Reiss said she is concerned 'that some manufacturers might leave the vaccine market.' In an editorial published Monday in the Wall Street Journal, Secretary Kennedy wrote that the 17 ACIP members were 'retired' because 'the committee has been plagued with persistent conflicts of interest.' Experts roundly disagreed with the claims and numerous medical organizations quickly spoke out. 'That's very telling,' said Catherine Flores, executive director of the California Immunization Coalition, a statewide nonprofit advocacy and education organization around immunizations. While past ACIP vaccine experts were thoroughly vetted, details about the process for the newly announced group aren't clear, Flores said. Flores is concerned some committee members may lack the previous ACIP members' level of expertise about vaccines. 'We are very concerned about what's next,' Flores said.
