(NewsNation) — The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices selected by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says it may consider a proposal to advise against giving a combination shot against measles and chickenpox to children, according to a report.
The Centers for Disease Control recommends that children receive two doses of the measles, mumps, rubella vaccine and the varicella vaccine. That quantity should occur first between 12 and 15 months for kids and the second between 4 and 6 years of age.
An MMRV (MMR-chickenpox combination vaccine) can be utilized, but the CDC advocates that the first dose be administered in two separate shots.
“A proposed recommendation — we’re not going to vote on that this time, but possibly at the next meeting — could be that, as there exists a safer, equally effective alternative, the MMRV vaccine should not be administered to children under the age of 47 months,” said ACIP Chair Martin Kulldorff.
In 2009, the ACIP recommended separate MMR and varicella vaccinations for children under 2 due to an increased risk of seizures from those who received the combination shot.
Fever-induced seizures are common in young children. The CDC, though, estimates the risk at 5%.