CDC Vaccine Panel Votes Against Merck Shot for Kids Under 4
A medical assistant applies a bandage to an infant's leg after administrating a vaccine in Silver Spring, Maryland.
Photographer: Andrew Harrer/BloombergRobert F. Kennedy Jr.’s hand-selected vaccine advisers voted to change the way immunizations are given to millions of US children each year, recommending a tweak to the standard schedule that casts a large shadow over the safety of the shots.
Members of the influential US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention panel said Merck & Co.’s combination vaccine for measles and three other viruses shouldn’t be given as one shot to children under 4 because it increases the rare risk of seizures. The group, called the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, said the youngest children should get two separate shots to prevent the infections.