CDC Advisory Panel Advances Updated vaccine Schedules for Childhood Diseases
ATLANTA - A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advisory panel is considering revised vaccine schedules for measles, mumps, rubella (MMR), and chickenpox, perhaps shifting towards multiple shots instead of a combined vaccine. The deliberations, ongoing as of Thursday, have been marked by discussion regarding parental concerns and vaccine hesitancy, despite data indicating broad public support for vaccine mandates.
During committee meetings, advisors, including Robert Malone, who worked on mRNA vaccine technology, and Kirk Milhoan, a pediatric cardiologist, voiced observations that parents harbor anxieties about vaccine policy and mandates. Malone stated, ”a meaningful population of the United States has significant concerns about vaccine policy and vaccine mandates,” while Milhoan added, “I think families are very concerned. I think there’s an increased hesitancy through all families right now.” Milhoan also serves as a senior fellow at an organization that has promoted ivermectin as a Covid treatment.
However, recent surveys challenge the notion of widespread declining support for vaccinations. A University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg Public Policy Center survey revealed that 70% of adults support mandates for MMR vaccines in schools – an increase from 63% in 2023. Furthermore, a study indicated that refusals of hepatitis B vaccines for newborns decreased between 2017 and 2022.
The committee postponed a scheduled vote on the hepatitis B vaccine on Wednesday due to “slight discrepancies” in the proposed vote wording, as noted by committee chair Martin Kulldorff. The panel will reconvene Friday to focus on Covid vaccines and will ultimately vote on the recommended timing of the hepatitis B vaccine, a potentially life-threatening infection that can cause liver disease.
