CDC advisory panel recommends restricting access to the MMRV vaccine

A closely watched advisory panel to the CDC voted Thursday to restrict access to a measles vaccine that includes protection against chickenpox.

A closely watched advisory panel to the CDC voted Thursday to tweak recommendations for a measles vaccine that includes protection against the varicella, or chickenpox, virus.

The new guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) suggests the vaccine, called MMRV, shouldn’t be recommended for children under age 4 because of a small risk for febrile seizures in that age group. The seizures can be prompted by fevers associated with viruses or, sometimes, vaccines. They usually last for a few minutes and, while they are scary for parents to witness, are generally harmless, doctors say.

The panelists voted 8-3 in favor of the change. One member, Dr. Robert Malone, abstained because of a conflict of interest.

Doctors have known about the increased risk of febrile seizures in young children for years. It’s why the CDC already suggests that younger kids get the varicella vaccine separately, unless a parent or a caregiver prefers the MMRV shot.

The combination shot was developed to cut down on the number of vaccines babies receive at age 1 and to increase the chances kids will get all of their vaccinations. But about 85% of parents opt to give their children the stand-alone measles, mumps and rubella vaccine and a separate varicella shot, according to data presented at Thursday’s meeting.