What's Next For CDC's Remade Vaccine Advisory Committee?

The vaccine advisory committee, remade by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has voted to advise officials to stop recommending influenza shots that contain mercury. The committee, now led by Martin Kulldorff, plans to review recommendations for multiple vaccines, including the measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella combination immunization. Kulldorff proposed that children under 47 months should receive two separate vaccines instead of the combination vaccine, citing data that shows the combination vaccine causes more febrile seizures. The committee also announced two new subcommittees to examine the impact of vaccines on childhood immunization schedules and vaccines that have not been reviewed in over seven years. One of the vaccines to be reviewed is the hepatitis B vaccine, which is currently recommended at birth for infants. The committee also voted to add a second monoclonal antibody treatment against respiratory syncytial virus for infants. However, some members expressed concerns over conflicts of interest and the lack of granular data from clinical trials. The committee's decision to stop recommending thimerosal-containing flu shots was made to cut down on controllable sources of mercury exposure. The FDA and vaccine manufacturers have stated that the supply of flu shots will be sufficient without the thimerosal-containing vaccines. The committee's actions and decisions have sparked debate and discussion about vaccine safety and efficacy, with some members planning to further investigate issues such as immune imprinting and original antigenic sin.