SCOTT SIMON, HOST:
It was chaotic and at times tense as a vaccine panel that advises the federal government and met in Atlanta this week. The committee guides the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on who should get vaccines and when, and they've been embroiled in controversy under the leadership of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. NPR's Will Stone spent the last two days watching the meeting and joins us now. Will, thanks for being with us.
WILL STONE, BYLINE: Thanks for having me.
SIMON: Did the committee make any changes to the vaccine schedule?
STONE: They did. The biggest concrete change was a decision to stop children under 4 from getting a combination shot for measles, mumps, rubella and chickenpox. This is the MMRV vaccine, Scott. And at issue is some data from the CDC showing a slightly increased risk of fever-related seizures in some infants after getting that shot. Now, the vast majority of children do not get this single shot. Instead, they get the MMR vaccine and a separate one to cover chickenpox. And representatives from medical groups who were at the meeting said the changes were unnecessary, could limit access. But ultimately, the committee went ahead and decided to limit the shots anyways.
SIMON: Was this a surprise, Will? 'Cause there's been speculation we could see much bigger changes in that policy.
STONE: Yeah, that's right. Remember, Kennedy fired all the existing members of this influential vaccine committee and handpicked the replacements, as some of them have a history of being critical of vaccines. And there was a push to remove the recommendation that children get the hepatitis B vaccine right after they're born. This has been in place for a long time, and CDC scientists at the meeting emphasize it's helped cut rates of this disease dramatically. The debate, I would say, was just one example of the broader tensions here between the medical establishment and these new committee members. Take a listen to Dr. Flor Munoz, who is not on the committee but spoke during the meeting. She's with the Infectious Diseases Society of America.
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FLOR MUNOZ: Why? Why are we addressing this hepatitis B vaccine recommendation? Is there really a reason that the committee can provide for making a change?
STONE: You heard some variation of this question throughout the two-day meeting from many experts who were there. Now, in the case of the hepatitis B vaccine, that proposal did end up failing after the committee voted to table it to get more information.
SIMON: Any changes made to the COVID-19 vaccine?
STONE: There were some changes, though, the committee ultimately backed away from its most controversial proposal that called for states to require a prescription for the COVID-19 vaccine. There were a series of votes, and I'll have to say, Scott, the whole process was pretty convoluted. For most of the day, it wasn't clear what the committee would even be voting on. In the end, they decided that anyone over six months old can get the shot, but they did call for patients to speak with a clinician about the risks and benefits.
They also called on the information sheets about the vaccines to include more information about possible risks and uncertainty about the effectiveness of the vaccines. Even though CDC scientists share data showing the vaccines still offer protection against severe disease, there was considerable time devoted to presentations about safety concerns, including some unproven theories about links to cancer. All of this was really troubling to the medical experts there, who worry it will fuel more doubts and confusion around the vaccines.
SIMON: Well, you've monitored a lot of these meetings over the years. How was this one different?
STONE: Well, it was striking to see how many experts representing major medical organizations have really been sidelined from the process in ways that you did not see under previous administrations. Here's Dr. Sandra Fryhofer. She spoke on behalf of the American Medical Association on Friday ahead of the COVID-19 votes.
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SANDRA FRYHOFER: And it's troubling to see the erosion of the committee's integrity. We're concerned about how vaccine recommendations are being developed by this new panel. Data's being selectively used to justify specific conclusions, rather than considering all of the available evidence.
STONE: So this gathering underscored the turbulent, highly politicized nature of vaccine policy under the leadership of Health Secretary Kennedy, which is now at odds with the medical establishment.
SIMON: NPR's Will Stone. Thanks so much.
STONE: Thank you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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