HOUSTON, United States

Vaccine advisers to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) voted on Thursday to recommend against using the combined measles, mumps, rubella and varicella (chickenpox) vaccine (MMRV) for young children.

The panel voted 8-3 that the combined MMRV vaccine is not recommended for children under age 4. Instead, they voted that the under-4 age group should receive the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine separately from the chickenpox shot.

The recommendation does not change the previous recommendation for the Vaccines for Children program, which serves low-income children, meaning children who get free vaccines through the federal program will still be able to choose between a single combination shot or two separate injections for their first vaccination.

The recommendations are not final and would typically go next to the CDC director. However, with no permanent director in place, the committee’s decisions might get final approval from US Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime vaccine skeptic.

In June, Kennedy abruptly removed all 17 sitting members of the Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices (ACIP), which makes recommendations that shape doctors’ guidance to patients as well as state vaccine policy, Vaccines for Children and insurance coverage.

Kennedy has since added 12 new members to the committee and has appointed his deputy, Jim O’Neill, as acting CDC director.

Former CDC director Susan Monarez claimed she was fired for voicing her opinions on recent decisions on the vaccine schedule and because she refused two demands from Kennedy: the first being to fire career agency officials and the second being to sign off on vaccine recommendations without seeing corresponding data, according to a report from CNBC.

"He said if I was unwilling to do both, I should resign," said Monarez. "I responded that I could not pre-approve recommendations without reviewing the evidence, and I had no basis to fire scientific experts."

The advisory group is scheduled to discuss its recommendations for the hepatitis B and COVID-19 vaccines for all age groups on Friday.