"The recent recommendation from Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s advisory panel to restrict the combined MMRV vaccine for children under 4 is troubling. While the panel cites concerns about rare fever-related seizures, the broader implications risk undermining confidence in vaccines that have protected generations from measles, mumps, rubella and chickenpox. Parents already face challenges navigating vaccine schedules. Replacing a single shot with multiple appointments complicates the process and may lower vaccination rates at a time when preventable disease outbreaks are resurging."
"Discussions about delaying the newborn hepatitis B vaccine raise similar concerns, as hesitation and mixed messaging can weaken public trust in one of the most important public health tools we have. Science should guide health policy, not fear or politics. Vaccines save lives, and decisions about them must be based on the strongest evidence, communicated clearly and implemented to strengthen not weaken public protection."
An advisory panel recommended restricting the combined MMRV vaccine for children under four due to concerns about rare fever-related seizures, potentially undermining long-established protection against measles, mumps, rubella, and chickenpox. Replacing a single combined shot with multiple appointments could complicate vaccination schedules and reduce uptake while preventable disease outbreaks resurge. Proposals to delay the newborn hepatitis B vaccine raise similar worries that hesitation and mixed messaging will weaken public trust in critical public health tools. Science-based policy, clear communication, and implementation that strengthens rather than weakens public protection are essential. Media polarization and corporate capitulation also threaten free-speech principles and civic rights.
Read at www.mercurynews.com
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