Virginia waiting for CDC decision before changing MMRV vaccine rules
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The Virginia Department of Health isn't making any changes to its vaccine rules — yet.
Why it matters: A CDC committee's vote last week to recommend against the combined measles, mumps, rubella and chicken pox vaccine for kids under age 4 has left parents and providers uncertain about what's next.
Driving the news: VDH said on Monday that its vaccine guidance won't be updated until the CDC, which currently has no full-time leader after its previous one was ousted, gives the official go-ahead.
- This decision is standard practice among state health departments, and means the MMRV vaccine remains available for that age group.
- But multiple states nationwide are already bypassing Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s vaccine restrictions and using guidance from medical organizations instead.
Between the lines: There's also an option to have separate MMR and chicken pox shots, but the combined shot has been available for 20 years for parents who want to minimize the number of injections their kids receive, reports Axios' Maya Goldman.
Zoom in: A VDH spokesperson didn't respond to Axios' requests for comment on whether the state would adopt the change if the CDC recommends it or if it'd issue its own vaccine recommendations to keep offering it.
- The agency, however, did break from the Trump administration earlier this month and issue an order allowing pharmacists to give COVID shots to adults without a prescription.
- Without that order, access to those vaccines would've been limited due to the FDA ending the authorizations that allowed getting a COVID booster without a doctor's note in Virginia.
What we're watching: CDC vaccine advisers last week were deadlocked on requiring prescriptions for COVID boosters.
- But they mentioned plans to investigate other childhood vaccines and vaccinations delivered during pregnancy.
The bottom line: VDH is still recommending the MMRV vaccine for kids under 4.
Go deeper: As Virginia's kindergarten vaccination rates rise, so do exemptions