The federal committee that guides U.S. vaccine policy is set to make key decisions Thursday and Friday regarding immunization standards for adults, children and newborns.
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) develops recommendations for who should receive vaccines, at what ages people should be vaccinated and the appropriate doses.
The meetings will be live streamed to the public both days.
MMRV, responsible for protecting against measles, mumps, rubella and varicella (chickenpox), is up first on Thursday, followed by Hepatitis B.
Recommendations for both vaccines are scheduled to be voted on Thursday.
Discussion Thursday morning involved whether the combined MMRV vaccine should still be recommended, or if children should only be recommended to receive the MMR and varicella vaccines in two separate immunizations.
Current CDC recommendations state both the MMR and MMRV vaccines are approved. It is largely up to parents and their pediatricians to decide which they prefer.
MMR is given in a series of two doses with the first between 12-15 months and the second between 4-6 years.
The first dose of MMRV is given at 12-15 months and the second between 4-6 years.
The board looked at a study that claimed the MMRV was linked to higher rates of febrile seizures in children under the age of 4 around 8-10 days of vaccination. Febrile seizures is a rare side effect seen in some children after vaccination.
The board is not voting Thursday to change recommended dosage of the vaccinations.
The attention Friday will shift to COVID-19. The ACIP will hear presentations on the updated vaccine's effectiveness and safety, before weighing who should be able to access the latest shots this fall.
Past meetings have sparked debate over whether COVID recommendations should apply to all adults or only be targeted toward older and higher-risk groups.
The September meeting comes as North Carolina families face hurdles finding the COVID-19 vaccine, even for at-risk populations.
The decisions the ACIP makes hold a lot of weight with insurance providers, and ultimately the price families pay at a pharmacy or doctor's office.
If the ACIP votes to no longer recommend a vaccination (such as MMRV, Hepatitis B, or COVID-19) then the vaccines would not be covered under the Vaccines for Children Program (VFC). The VFC provides vaccinations for children for those unable to afford them.
Vaccinations can cost hundreds of dollars for those without coverage.
Children covered by Medicaid, as well as other insurance providers, will also be affected under current guidelines.
Parents in these situations wishing to opt for the four-in-one MMRV vaccination, Hepatitis B, or COVID-19 would be left footing the bill.
The timing of this year's event is unusual with the committee usually voting on these recommendations months earlier in June. The sudden removal of all 17 members of the CDC's independent vaccine advisory committee, including Noel Brewer with UNC Gillings School of Public Health, delayed the meeting.
Health Secretary Robert. F. Kennedy Jr. stated at the time the members were removed due to 97% of the committee having conflicts of interest. Research published in the Journal of American Medicine in August disputed the claims, finding conflicts of interest among the ACIP prior to the June firings were the lowest in years.