An advisory panel to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC) voted Thursday against recommending the combined measles,
mumps, rubella, and chickenpox vaccine for children under 4 years of age.
Experts note that while each dose included in the vaccine is
safe and effective separately, combining them into a single vaccine can
increase the risk of side effects such as high fever and febrile seizures in
young children. For this reason, the committee suggested maintaining the
traditional pattern of administering the vaccines individually or in different
combinations, but not as a single quadruple dose for this age group.
The decision does not imply that the combined vaccine is
banned, but rather that its routine use in children under 4 years of age is not
recommended. The CDC clarified that immunization against these diseases remains
essential and that parents should continue to follow the established
vaccination schedule to protect their children against highly contagious
infections.
The debate comes amid concerns about the resurgence of
measles outbreaks and other preventable diseases, reinforcing the importance of
maintaining high vaccination coverage rates.
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