New York (AP) – a Vaccine Advisory Committee US Health and Human Services Director Robert F. Kennedy Jr. met this week in Atlanta to consider whether to amend any recommendations on shots for combination shots to protect children from Covid-19, hepatitis B, and measles, mumps, rubella and chicken.
The panel, charged with making vaccine recommendations, rejected recommendations for the Covid-19 vaccine and said people could instead make individual decisions.
During the occasional, confusing two-day meeting, the panels were also available. New Restrictions Recommended For vaccines that protect against measles, mumps, and rubella. In a surprising move, the group indefinitely postponed the expected vote for a shot of hepatitis B given to the infant on the day of birth.
A vaccine skeptic, Kennedy, heading the country’s health agency, Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, or ACIP meetings, hit a different tone than past meetings. Of the 12 members, all members Kennedy chose this year after he fired the previous 17 members panel, are those who criticized and spread the misinformation about the vaccine. Critics say the panel’s makeup and agenda could lead to distrust of the shot.
The panel recommendations are: Centers for Disease Control and Preventionan agency that was shaken by differences in opinion over Kennedy’s vaccine policy. Panel recommendations are usually adopted by the CDC, followed by doctors and insurance companies widely.
Here are some takeaways from the meeting.
The panel refuses to recommend Covid-19 shots to anyone
According to CDC data, Friday’s panel discussed Covid-19 vaccinations as the virus continues to be a public health threat, resulting in 32,000 to 51,000 deaths last fall and winter.
Until now, vaccinations have been offered to almost every American who wanted them on a daily basis. The Food and Drug Administration recently put in new restrictions This year’s shot They are booking them for people over the age of 65 who are deemed at higher risk from the virus from Pfizer, Moderna and Novavax.
Panelists refused to recommend Shots to anyone, including seniors and high-risk populations. They said individuals can make their own decisions. Removing recommendations that were previously in place can confuse Americans trying to decide whether or not to get a fall booster or how to do it.
The panel also urged the CDC to adopt a stronger language on its vaccine risk claims despite pushbacks from external medical groups that said shots from billions of doses administered worldwide have proven safety records.
The split panel narrowly avoided asking the state to request a prescription for shots.
Some states Worried about ACIP’s decision on Friday, they announced policies to ensure people have access to the Covid-19 vaccine. And the group representing most health insurance companies, America’s health insurance plans, said earlier this week that its members will continue to cover the shots until 2026.
Panel vote for MMRV shots of children under the age of 4
The committee recommended that the combined vaccine, known as MMRV, should not be given to children under the age of four. Instead, they said that children in this age group need to get separate vaccines with 8-3 votes for one abstention.
Their argument focuses on rare fever attacks that can occur in children receiving their first dose between the ages of 1 and 2.
2009, ACIP Changed previous recommendations Advise that either a combination shot or a separate shot is accepted at the initial dose.
Some doctors and public health experts say they are not aware of new safety data explaining a revisiting of these vaccination recommendations.
According to information presented at the conference, approximately 85% of children have already received separate doses in the first round.
However, experts raised concerns that other children could struggle to get a combined vaccine as a result of panel recommendations. For example, government insurance programs like Medicaid will need to stop paying early combo doses if the proxy CDC director accepts panel guidance.
Group punts on hepatitis B vote in criticism
Since the 2005 ACIP Panel recommended doses of hepatitis B vaccines for neonatals, cases of liver virus in infants have been reduced by more than half.
Nevertheless, the committee chose to revisit the guidance at this week’s meeting, with members choosing to question whether babies born to mothers testing negativity in hepatitis B really need a vaccine at birth.
Panelists considered whether they would recommend delaying their initial vaccination. This is something doctors and parents already have a choice.
A member of a committee asked whether vaccinations immediately after birth would “please our baby to solve adult problems.” Hepatitis B can spread through sex, share needles, or spread from infected mothers to newborns.
However, several outside health experts criticized the committee for discussing the issue at all, saying the vaccine is safe and successful in reducing infant infections.
After debating on Thursday, the panel decided on Friday morning to postpone the vote on the issue indefinitely.
Differences from previous ACIP gatherings
Leave a doctor who is worried
Chairman Martin Kruldorf began the meeting by challenging the public debate with the former CDC director. Several physicians representing external health groups accused the panel of failing to follow the CDC’s long-established guidelines when weighing the evidence to develop recommendations.
As always, CDC staff presented many studies on the topic being discussed and explained how they chose the studies to discuss. However, several times, panel members cited various papers they found, including those performed with mice that were not considered generally applicable.
The committee also voted Thursday on Friday morning that it would have to be redoing the government’s children’s vaccine program. On Friday, they voted to adjust coverage under the MMRV Shot guidance. A day ago they had voted no on this idea.
“We’re rookies… there are a lot of technical issues that we may not know yet,” Kruldorf said. He said the committee member told him in the vote “maybe they didn’t really understand what was going on.”
At one point on Thursday, one of the panelists appeared to be taking a nap, closing their eyes and chin over their chest.
Doctors and public health experts watching the meeting unfold have said they are concerned that the committee is creating fear and mistrust around the vaccine. Vaccination rates in the US have already fallen.
They suggested that the new panel selectively uses its recommendations to justify a particular conclusion, rather than considering all the evidence.
“It’s troubling to see the erosion of the integrity of the committee,” said Dr. Sandra Frihofer of the American Medical Association.
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Poet Jonathan, Associated Press Writer in Philadelphia, contributed to this report.
