Emergency Update: A Gut Punch to Public Health
Hi community,
It has been a rough week for public health, and it is only Wednesday. I wanted to share a mid-week update on several timely issues. Let’s jump into it…
The Sudden Gutting of Critical Public Health Funding
The CDC is taking back $11.4 billion in funds previously allocated to state and community health departments and non-profits in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. While these funds began as emergency support, they were extended beyond the public health emergency to help communities prepare for the next one. A spokesperson for my own state’s Department of Public Health and Environment in Colorado put it plainly:
“This sudden loss of federal funding threatens Colorado’s ability to track COVID-19 trends and other emerging diseases, modernize disease data systems, respond to outbreaks, and provide critical immunization access, outreach, and education—leaving communities more vulnerable to future public health crises.” - Kristina Iodice, Comms Director for CDPHE
What makes this even more tragic is the abruptness. Funding cliffs are a known reality of public health, but typically, there’s time to plan and secure new funding streams while the federal government honors the contracts they made. This time, the floor has been pulled out without warning. Overnight, jobs will be lost. Programs will disappear. Years of progress will be undone.
These cuts aren’t just about changes in priorities or improving efficiency; they’re being carried out with speed and cruelty that feel intentional, calculated to cause maximum harm. And it’s working. We are devastated, confused, and angry.
So what do we do now?
We regroup. We speak up and make it clear how these actions harm people. We keep showing up.
We will continue to care for our communities—even those who may celebrate these cuts. We will find new avenues to prevent disease, promote health, and safeguard the places we call home.
Because this work is our calling. And even in the face of political attacks and financial ruin, we must keep showing up—however we can.
Discredited Figure Reportedly Tapped to Lead Federal Vaccine-Autism Study
If there was any lingering doubt about the intentions behind a new federally commissioned study to re-examine the long-debunked claim that vaccines cause autism, that doubt should now be gone.
Reports now suggest that David Geier, BA (not a physician, not an epidemiologist, and not a credentialed scientist with expertise in vaccine safety) is being tapped to lead the analysis. This decision is as alarming as it is revealing.
Geier, along with his father, Mark Geier, has a long history of promoting false claims linking vaccines to autism. He has no advanced degrees or medical training and was previously disciplined for practicing medicine without a license. The Geiers’ so-called research has been widely discredited, and they have reportedly used a family-run Institutional Review Board, an egregious conflict of interest, for ethics oversight of their studies.
This is not science. It’s theater masquerading as inquiry. I raised concerns when the CDC was originally reported to be conducting this study. Now, for unclear reasons, the NIH is said to have taken it over.
Alison Singer, president of the Autism Science Foundation, put it best in the Washington Post:
“It seems the goal of this administration is to prove that vaccines cause autism, even though they don’t… They are starting with the conclusion and looking to prove it. That’s not how science is done.”
Cutting Global Immunization Funding Hurts Us All
The U.S. is retracting $2.63 billion in funding previously committed to Gavi, an organization focused on global immunization efforts. This decision is part of broader budget cuts affecting international health initiatives.
This is a tragedy. We are turning our backs on the most vulnerable children around the world. This is not only an egregious moral failure; it will come back to harm our own communities. Undervaccinated populations anywhere put us all at greater risk of global spread and future outbreaks.
Before I even knew this cut was coming, I spoke on CNN yesterday about the dangers of slashing international measles prevention efforts. As I said then:
"When the U.S. cuts funding for global measles prevention, we’re not just turning our backs on children abroad; we’re dismantling our own first line of defense. Viruses like measles don’t stop at borders. Investing in global immunization programs is both a moral responsibility and smart, strategic public health for America. Protecting children around the world protects all of us."
You can watch the interview here.
The Urgent Need for Independent Public Health Communication
Kevin Griffis, who just resigned as CDC’s Director of Communications last week, penned this sobering op-ed in The Washington Post yesterday. It captures what many in science and public health communication are feeling right now:
“Public health communications should be about empowering people with reliable, science-based information, so they can make their own health decisions. Unfortunately, we can’t count on Kennedy’s HHS for that anymore.
It is painful to say this, given my time in government service, but the United States urgently needs a strong alternative to the government public health guidance it has relied on in the past. I urge public health experts to come together to invest in organizations that provide independent, trustworthy sources of information on vital public health matters.”
Griffis calls for something many of us have quietly feared but now must say out loud: America needs trusted, independent alternatives to government public health messaging. The erosion of credibility from the top is too great and dangerous to ignore.
This moment demands leadership. If you’re a scientist, a health communicator, or someone who cares deeply about truth in public health, now is the time to step up. We must come together to support and build organizations that the public can trust for accurate, evidence-based health information.
Thanks for being part of this community. Let’s keep pushing for truth, compassion, and science that saves lives—together.
-David
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Community Immunity is a newsletter dedicated to vaccines, policy, and public health, offering clear science and meaningful conversations for health professionals, science communicators, policymakers, and anyone who wants to stay informed. This newsletter is free for everyone, and I want it to be a conversation, not just a broadcast. I’d love to hear your feedback, questions, and topic suggestions—let me know what’s on your mind! And if you find this valuable, please help spread the word!
Well said. I can't believe it's only Wednesday!
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