The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has expanded access to its Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) vaccine to people aged 50, in line with the advice of a recently fired panel of government vaccine advisers. The decision follows the CDC’s April recommendation to vaccinate high-risk adults as young as 50 against RSV.
The RSV vaccine typically targets pregnant women and those 75 or older, but individuals aged 60 with underlying health conditions are also eligible for the vaccine. However, due to a lack of direction from the CDC’s director, the decision to expand vaccination to younger adults was delayed.
Last month, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. fired the previous panel of vaccine advisers and replaced them with new members, including several who have expressed skepticism about vaccines. Despite this change, Kennedy has adopted the recommendation for RSV vaccination expansion, making it an official CDC policy as of June 25.
Source: https://apnews.com/article/rsv-cdc-vaccine-advisers-kennedy-21e52249fcc51032e1c85f713ccdcdbd