Overview
- The 8–3 vote recommends MMR and varicella be given separately through age 3, with the change awaiting sign-off by acting CDC director Jim O’Neill in the coming weeks.
- Under the recommendation, the MMRV combination shot would no longer be covered for toddlers by the Vaccines for Children program, though it remains VFC-covered for children age 4 and older.
- CDC data presented to the committee showed roughly five additional febrile seizures per 10,000 MMRV doses in 12–23 month-olds, and experts emphasize these episodes are typically brief and benign.
- Pediatricians can still administer MMRV to children under 4, but coverage for low-income families could be affected, and the AAP continues to support offering families a choice after counseling.
- Separately, President Trump urged splitting MMR into three individual shots, a step experts say lacks evidence and practicality because monovalent measles, mumps, and rubella vaccines are not available in the U.S.