Updated September 18, 2025 at 6:15 PM EDT

A panel of vaccine advisers to the federal government – now embroiled in controversy under the leadership of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. – has voted in favor of changing the childhood vaccine schedule.

On Thursday afternoon, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, or ACIP, voted 8-3 to change the current recommendations that allow children under 4 to receive the MMRV vaccine, a combination shot for measles, mumps, rubella and chickenpox (or varicella).

The vast majority of children in the U.S. – about 85% – get separate shots for MMR and chickenpox, though parents currently have the option to give their children the single shot to cover all four diseases.

The panel's votes still require final approval from the acting CDC di

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