The Federal Vaccine Advisory Panel may make changes to the childhood vaccination schedule when it meets Friday. A look at what was discussed on the first day of the councilors' meeting
STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
A powerful federal committee is today again trying to change the procedure for vaccinating children against infectious diseases. The group was supposed to vote on these changes yesterday, but did not do so as the meeting instead descended into chaos and confusion. Joining us now is NPR health correspondent Rob Stein. Rob, good morning.
ROB STEIN, BYLINE: Good morning, Steve.
INSKEEP: It would be a funny story, but lives are at stake. So what happened?
Stein: Exactly. Well, you know, as you said, it turned into quite a spectacle. The meeting lasted all day, but the participants repeatedly interrupted and talked over each other, sometimes even briefly snapping out of frustration. Let's listen to one dialogue. At the end of the day, Dr. Joseph Hibbeln spoke about how the committee evaluates science. But then he got into a conversation with Dr. Robert Malone, who was chairing the meeting.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
JOSEPH HIBBELN: If we don't have a scientific basis, they are susceptible to opinions…
ROBERT MALONE: And we heard…
HIBBELN: …Or failures.
MALONE: We've heard your comments.
HIBBELN: So…
MALONE: And please understand…
HIBBELN: Sorry.
MALONE: …It's there…
HIBBELN: Sorry.
MALONE: …It is…
HIBBELN: Please don't interrupt me.
MALONE: …The process has begun.
HIBBELN: Please don't interrupt me.
STEIN: And, you know, Steve, that kind of summed up how the day went.
INSKEEP: Could you remind us what the committee had to decide?
Stein: Yes. Yeah. This committee is the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He is considering changing the way children are vaccinated against hepatitis B, ending the recommendation that all children receive the vaccine within 24 hours of birth. This protects them from chronic hepatitis B infection and liver disease, liver failure and possibly even liver cancer later in life. And it was very successful. Since universal routine vaccination began, the number of cases of hepatitis B infection has dropped sharply in the United States.
INSKEEP: And yesterday we heard a doctor on the program who argued that vaccination early on, right at birth, is really important. So…
Stein: Yes.
INSKEEP: …Why did the committee even consider changing this?
STEIN: Well, this committee was chosen by Secretary of Health Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has long questioned many vaccines. Some members of this committee argued that there was insufficient evidence that vaccinating all newborns against hepatitis B at such an early age is necessary and safe. After hours of presentations and sometimes heated debate, the committee seemed ready to recommend scrapping that blanket recommendation and replacing it with a recommendation that only children whose mothers test positive for the hepatitis B virus or whose status is unknown should be vaccinated at birth. This change, according to most public health experts, would be a terrible mistake.
But as the committee was about to vote, the chairman suddenly announced that they would vote on three issues instead of two. And he didn't even have a slide that he could put up so the committee members could see exactly how they were answering some pretty difficult questions. Therefore, even greater disappointment and confusion followed. Here's Dr. Hibbeln again.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
HIBBELN: We're trying to evaluate a moving target, and we don't even have a slide detailing what questions we have to answer.
STEIN: And most of the committee agreed that they didn't really understand what they were voting on, so they voted to defer the decision.
INSKEEP: Until today?
Stein: Right. The committee will try again after clarifying the exact language of the recommendations. And then they'll move on to other possible major changes to the rest of the childhood vaccination schedule, which for decades has protected children from measles, whooping cough, polio and more than a dozen other dangerous infections.
INSKEEP: NPR health correspondent Rob Stein. Thank you.
Stein: Of course, Steve.
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