Community Immunity<\/a>, includes insights and updates on news related to vaccines and public health.<\/p>\n\u201cLow vaccination rates and a lack of visible support from public health leadership can undermine public trust in vaccines, leading to more frequent and severe outbreaks of vaccine preventable diseases,\u201d said Jeff Goad, PharmD, MPH, president of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, in an interview.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the short term, communities may see spikes in vaccine-preventable illnesses, such as we are seeing with measles, increased hospitalizations, and strain on healthcare resources,\u201d said Goad. \u201cIn the long term, persistent low vaccination uptake could allow previously controlled diseases to become endemic again and reverse decades of public health progress,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Are measles outbreaks and other surges in vaccine-preventable infectious diseases likely to continue and increase?<\/strong><\/p>\nThe impact of low measles vaccination is already apparent, said Higgins. \u201cWe\u2019re in the middle of a global measles crisis, which will continue to result in outbreaks and cases here in the US,\u201d he said.<\/strong> The global surge in measles is driven by a combination of pandemic-era disruptions to vaccination programs, especially in lower-income and conflict-affected regions, and increased vaccine hesitancy in wealthier countries such as the United States, Higgins said.<\/p>\n\u201cWhen vaccination rates fall, it\u2019s not a matter of if an outbreak will occur \u2014 it\u2019s when,\u201d Higgins emphasized. \u201cMeasles is only a plane flight away, and every imported measles case into the US enters a patchwork of communities where vaccination rates are falling, creating dry kindling ready to spark another measles outbreak,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Low vaccination rates could prompt short-term surges not only in influenza and COVID-19 but also in older, vaccine-preventable diseases such as pertussis and mumps, Goad said. \u201cGains in reducing cancer from diseases like HPV [human papillomavirus], which have seen 80% lower higher-grade cervical precancers in women since the roll-out of the HPV vaccine, could be lost,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
How might clinicians have to adapt their strategies and practices if vaccination rates continue to fall?<\/strong><\/p>\nOvercoming vaccine hesitancy will be best handled by clinicians on an individual basis, said Offit. \u201cAsk people what they are concerned about. It is perfectly reasonable for patients to ask questions about vaccines,\u201d he said. Especially new parents, who are being asked to vaccine children for multiple diseases at the same time, using ingredients that many people don\u2019t understand, he said.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, misinformation about vaccine safety and effectiveness is easily distributed and accessible, Offit said. The COVID pandemic contributed to a loss of faith in medical institutions, he added. \u201cScience is on our side, and the vaccine misinformation currently endorsed by public officials is wrong,\u201d Offit told Medscape Medical News<\/em>. However, vaccine studies are being planned that may show bias toward misinformation and further impact public health long-term by continuing to scare parents, he said.<\/p>\nClinicians should listen to patients with understanding, but make sure they understand the benefits and risks of all their options. \u201cThe choice not to get a vaccine is not a risk-free choice,\u201d Offit said.<\/p>\n
Rebuilding confidence in vaccines is now part of the job of infectious disease professionals, Higgins told Medscape Medical News<\/em>. \u201cInfectious disease professionals must invest even more in proactive communication and community engagement,\u201d he said. \u201cThis means addressing vaccine confidence, misinformation, and structural barriers. Clinicians must be equipped not only to recommend vaccines but also to listen, respond to concerns, and collaborate with trusted messengers and community leaders,\u201d said Higgins.<\/p>\n\u201cGiving a strong recommendation remains critical and effective, but it should be paired with an openness to honest and empathetic dialogue when parents hesitate. Tailoring our language to align with what patients most value can make a real difference,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
\u201cVaccination rates are still heavily dependent on a healthcare provider\u2019s recommendation,\u201d Goad told Medscape Medical News<\/em>. \u201cNow is the time to improve electronic health record algorithms that identify patients needing vaccination, make a point to talk to parents and patients about vaccination at every visit, and keep on alert for any outbreaks in your community,\u201d he said. \u201cIf vaccine-hesitant patients and parents need more information beyond public health, consider other trusted sources, such as the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases or the American Academy of Pediatrics,\u201d he said.<\/p>\nHow will eliminating research on vaccine confidence affect vaccine development and public health?<\/strong><\/p>\nUnderstanding the reasons behind vaccine hesitancy is important, Offit said. The mandates regarding the COVID-19 vaccines were seen by many as excessive government overreach, he said. \u201cI\u2019d say about a third of this country is pushing back against that,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Looking ahead, Offit said he predicts more outbreaks and also more parents getting waivers to avoid vaccinating their children for school, which means more school outbreaks. In addition, public response to the \u201cmedical freedom\u201d movement may result in fewer adults getting vaccinated as well, which also increases infection risks for those in the community unable to get vaccinated, he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cCutting research on vaccine confidence is like flying blind,\u201d Higgins emphasized. \u201cWe can\u2019t improve what we can\u2019t measure or understand. This kind of research isn\u2019t just about attitudes; it\u2019s about improving the quality and effectiveness of vaccination services in the US,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Vaccine hesitancy is complex, dynamic, and deeply rooted in social and cultural contexts, Higgins noted. \u201cWithout research, we lose the ability to track changes in public sentiment, test effective communication strategies, and address misinformation with evidence,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWorse still, cutting this research sends a chilling message that studying vaccine confidence is politically risky, and sets a dangerous precedent, weakening the very public health systems the US developed to keep our communities safe,\u201d Higgins said.<\/p>\n
\u201cVaccine confidence research helps us understand why people decline vaccines and what interventions work best to address their concerns,\u201d Goad told Medscape Medical News<\/em>. \u201cWithout this research, public health messaging may become less targeted and misinformation and disinformation may spread unchecked, filling the vacuum left by evidence-based communication,\u201d he said.<\/p>\nIn addition, cutting funding for the university science research programs puts the development of the vaccines themselves at risk, with further long-term impact on public health, Goad explained.<\/p>\n
\u201cUniversities are often the engines that drive innovation in vaccine development,\u201d Goad told Medscape<\/em> Medical News<\/em>. \u201cWithout appropriate funding, basic science discoveries that lead to novel vaccine platforms will be slowed,\u201d he said. \u201cClinical trial infrastructure that enables rapid response to emerging pathogens will be limited, putting the public at risk from the next pandemic. Training the next generation of clinical scientists, virologists, and public health leaders through graduate and postdoc programs could be the greatest void created if funding is severely cut,\u201d Goad added.<\/p>\n\u201cUltimately, cutting research funding reduces innovation, delays responses to future pandemics, and leaves the public more vulnerable to both existing and emerging infectious threats,\u201d Goad said.<\/p>\n
Offit, Goad, and Higgins had no relevant financial conflicts to disclose.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\nRead More<\/a>
\n Luz Schewe<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As cases of vaccine-preventable diseases, notably measles and pertussis, continue to rise in the United States, several experts gave Medscape Medical News a big-picture perspective of long-term implications and challenges for clinicians. What might the current low vaccination rates and lack of vaccination support from the current administration mean for short- and long-term public health?\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":838841,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35067,32882,27722],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-838840","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-heath","8":"category-slumps","9":"category-vaccination"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/838840","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=838840"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/838840\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/838841"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=838840"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=838840"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=838840"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}