George Washington mandated a relatively dangerous inoculation for his troops in 1777 because he knew disease undermined readiness.
In 2026, a low-risk vaccine became optional for the U.S. military.
www.nbcnews.com/politics/pol...
How valid is Politico’s vaccine skepticism poll? @drhigginsmd.bsky.social delivers a helpful analysis. We may be in an era of poll pollution. garyschwitzer.substack.com/p/questionin...
Such an important piece from @drhigginsmd.bsky.social. I had similar conclusions when I looked at the Politico poll in question, but Dr. Higgins expressed it more eloquently than I ever could.
Vaccine hesitancy is not mainstream and we should not present it as such.
Thanks for sharing!
Don’t believe the headlines this week saying that vaccine skepticism is widespread.
Here’s what the data actually shows in my piece in STAT today.
www.statnews.com/2026/04/17/v... via @statnews.com
Should pediatric clinics dismiss families who refuse vaccines? I've come full circle on this.
Read my article co-authored with Dr. Jess Steier and Dr. Elana Pearl Benjoseph
The claim that pediatricians profit from vaccines has been amplified at the highest federal levels. The Unbiased Science Podcast spent 6 months investigating across all 50 states. Reality: many practices lose money on every dose. I co-hosted with Dr. Jess Steier.
open.spotify.com/episode/5Z4o...
The ruling is a legal win, for now. It is not a trust win. Those are different problems requiring different work.
Full breakdown in this week’s Community Immunity
open.substack.com/pub/communit...
The CDC website still shows Kennedy’s revised schedule today. An appeal is coming. Gaps remain — including how next year’s respiratory vaccine decisions get made without a lawful ACIP.
A ruling can reinstate a schedule. It can’t un-ring a bell. Parents who watched guidance flip for a year aren’t suddenly reassured. The erosion of trust in federal vaccine guidance is not suddenly repaired by a court win.
This week’s AAP v. Kennedy ruling is worth celebrating. A federal judge blocked the Kennedy vaccine schedule and sent a clear message: you cannot bypass scientific and legal process and expect it to stand.🧵
The most effective vaccine program in America doesn't require a new drug or breakthrough. It requires a form for school enrollment. And the reason it works might surprise you.
Five questions with honest answers, written with Dr. Katelyn Jetelina
open.substack.com/pub/yourloca...
New in Community Immunity: The Roundup. Five things: new series on vaccine governance, school vaccine requirements, vaccine dismissal policies, ACIP prebunk, and the myth that won't die.
Link below 👇
#vaccines #community #publichealth
Parents’ vaccine decisions are rarely just about evidence. They’re shaped by fear, identity, experience, and love.
A beautiful @nytimes.com piece by my colleague captures that complexity with real empathy. This is a must-read!
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/27/o...
New essay out in Community Immunity.
It begins with a simple thought experiment: what if future leaders attempt to restore vaccine policy structures overnight? Would that rebuild trust — or deepen polarization?
The way things were isn’t the way things can be anymore.
#PublicHealth #Vaccines
In an information environment that feels chaotic, that steady guidance matters more than ever.
More here: open.substack.com/pub/communit...
When it comes to vaccines, what parents want has not changed.
They want clear recommendations and honest explanations. They want reassurance that the advice they receive is grounded in their child’s best interest. And they want a trusted expert to help them navigate the noise.
Applications accepted until 2/15 for Fall 2026! App instructions and other info here: tinyurl.com/5bps2c8j @borsikarabin.bsky.social, @bmkwan.bsky.social, @monica-p-jolles.bsky.social, @drhigginsmd.bsky.social, @dramyhuebschmann.bsky.social, @russgl.bsky.social @cctsi.bsky.social #DIScience #ImpSci
Read more and see the data here:
www.kff.org/health-infor...
#PublicHealth #Vaccines #HealthPolicy
@kff.org
Who do parents trust? Their child’s pediatrician. More than any federal agency, political figure, or influencer.
Policy should strengthen that trusted relationship, not undermine it.
You don’t rebuild trust with sudden, unjustified changes to evidence-based guidance. You rebuild it through consistency, transparency, and credible scientific processes.
The predictable result of this approach is fewer children vaccinated and more preventable harm. It really is that simple.
This year, trust in CDC vaccine guidance has fallen sharply to its lowest point in years.
People who have heard of recent changes to the childhood vaccination schedule are twice as likely to say the changes will have a negative impact on kids than a positive one.
New KFF data show trust in the CDC as a source of reliable vaccine information is now at a historic low following a recent overhaul to childhood vaccine recommendations.
That matters because federal health leaders have explicitly justified their policy changes as necessary to restore public trust.🧵
Our article is out today in @statnews.com. Do pediatricians get rich from vaccines? We followed the money. Short answer: ABSOLUTELY NOT. This dangerously misleading claim just won’t die.
www.statnews.com/2026/01/29/p...
Preventing more diseases is a success, not a failure.
This shouldn’t be controversial.
open.substack.com/pub/communit...
#Vaccines ##PreventDisease
New 📰 The U.S. is being called a vaccine “outlier.” But why is that assumed to be bad?
Also: changes to a key federal advisory commission, flu policy during a severe season, and ethics concerns in a halted hepatitis B study in Africa.
Read here:
🔗 communityimmunity.substack.com/p/the-proble...
