CDC Quietly Alters Advice on RSV Shots
Another cause of the airway irritation outside the ozone, however, could also be respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), which tends to be a mild illness for most people but can be severe in infants and older adults. Previously, the CDC recommended RSV vaccination for pregnant women, all people 75 and older, and those 60 and older with high-risk conditions. The vaccine can now officially be given to high-risk people who are 50 and older.
The update is showing up on the CDC’s website as of June 25, but not yet as of Wednesday on the adult immunization schedule. This is in addition to an earlier recommendation from the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices in April, which made the same age expansion recommendation for high-risk adults.
Disputed Replacements and Policies May Undermine the Leadership Changes
That move comes as there is turnover in key leadership for federal vaccine policy. The health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., recently fired all 17 members of the CDC’s advisory panel and replaced them with seven new members, some of whom are skeptical of vaccination.
The new advisory group alarmed medical professionals last week by questioning current recommendations around vaccines, including the vaccine schedule for children and the use of certain preservatives in flu vaccines. Nevertheless, the RSV recommendation was not reconsidered by the panel.
The revised guidance on RSV was silently approved by the changing statement on the CDC website, which indicated that the change took effect on June 25th and was approved by Secretary Kennedy. It is his second significant pandemic vaccine policy reversal: Earlier this year, policies on COVID-19 vaccines were changed without going to the panel.
Although the immunization schedule is not yet revised formally, the RSV recommendation is expanded and now in effect for high-risk persons at least 50 years of age.
