Running Into a Brick Wall of Public Support
Inside a chaotic CDC vaccine meeting and how Americans’ enduring support stopped sweeping vaccine rollbacks.
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Hi Community,
Last week, the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) met to make several key decisions on U.S. vaccine guidance. If you haven’t watched these meetings before, you might assume it was business as usual. It wasn’t.
After a few days to reflect, here are my main takeaways.
Misleading claims and misread evidence came faster than anyone could track. I joined other scientists and health communicators for a deeper analysis—read it here.
But what struck me most was that key decisions were shaped by people who misunderstood or misrepresented the science, overlooked the practicalities of how vaccines are delivered, and made broad assumptions about patient care without firsthand clinical experience.
Yet when the votes came, the changes were far less drastic than many feared.
Modest Decisions After Heated Debate
Despite the chaos, ACIP’s final actions were restrained:
COVID-19 vaccines: Still recommended for everyone 6 months and older, but now through shared clinical decision-making—a conversation with a provider rather than a blanket routine recommendation. This is broader than the FDA license (the ACIP recommends “off-label” use) but narrower than professional-society guidance.
Hepatitis B: No vote and no explanation, leaving current newborn recommendations intact but sowing confusion.
MMRV (measles, mumps, rubella, varicella): Removed as an option for a child’s first dose under age 4.
So why did the final votes land so softly after weeks of warnings about sweeping limits on vaccine access and a flood of misleading safety claims?
Running Into a Wall of Public Support
Part of the answer lies with career CDC staff, scientists, and communicators who worked hard to elevate credible evidence. But something deeper is happening: the health administration’s attempt to roll back America’s vaccine system is running into a brick wall of public support.
Consider recent signals.
President Trump recently said, “Look, you have vaccines that work. They just pure and simple work… And I think those vaccines should be used, otherwise some people are going to catch it and they endanger other people.”
That same week, Republican senators reviewed polling from veteran Republican pollsters Fabrizio/Ward showing strong bipartisan support for vaccines such as MMR, Tdap, shingles, and Hep B, including backing from more than three-quarters of Trump voters. A memo referencing this polling warned that efforts to limit vaccine access could backfire politically.
These numbers echo years of data. A recent CBS/YouGov poll found that 74 % of U.S. adults want federal health agencies to make vaccines more available, and 70 %—including majorities in both parties—say federal policy should encourage parents to vaccinate. A Harvard/SSRS survey found roughly 8 in 10 Americans support school-entry vaccine requirements. CDC data show 92 % of kindergarteners remain up to date on routine vaccines, and fewer than 2 % are completely unvaccinated.
And this is just a taste of the data. I made this point in a 2024 New England Journal of Medicine article: most people still support vaccines, and overstating vaccine hesitancy risks the creation of policies out of step with what Americans actually want.
Mistaken Assumptions Driving Attempted Vaccine Rollbacks
The current push to broadly weaken U.S. vaccine policy makes three mistaken assumptions:
Conflating skepticism about COVID-19 vaccines with skepticism about all vaccines.
Labeling vaccines as red or blue, when vaccine policy has always been bipartisan.
Ignoring the public’s broad, enduring support for vaccines and the freedom to choose vaccination.
Riding a wave of COVID-vaccine and mitigation backlash, current federal health leaders are misreading public sentiment with attempted policy changes. Vaccine hesitancy varies by vaccine and context; many who refuse COVID shots still expect full access to measles, polio, and other routine vaccines.
And vaccines have never belonged to one party.
Reagan signed the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act.
Clinton expanded the Vaccines for Children program.
Obama ensured no-cost coverage for all recommended vaccines through the ACA.
Trump launched Operation Warp Speed, which is credited with saving hundreds of thousands of lives.
In my clinic, I see this bipartisan confidence every day. Most parents—Democrat, Republican, or neither—choose vaccination because they want their children safe, healthy, and in school. Even those with questions are usually open to honest, empathetic conversation, and it’s extremely rare to meet anyone who thinks others should lose the choice to vaccinate, even if they’re hesitant themselves.
Just last week, a parent arrived, hesitant to vaccinate. After careful, empathetic listening and sharing trustworthy information, they chose full vaccination, which is something I see regularly in practice.
The Stakes Behind the Numbers
These ACIP meetings aren’t just abstract policy debates—they affect families. As I told the Washington Post, two families I saw hesitated on measles shots after confusing ACIP headlines and social posts. After an empathetic discussion, both chose to vaccinate, but not every family will have that chance.
Even if policy drifts from science, vaccine-preventable diseases will not. Many adults still remember neighbors paralyzed by polio; others know loved ones harmed by cervical cancer; and today’s parents may have cared for a baby hospitalized with RSV or influenza. If parents believe they are losing the ability to protect their children from these illnesses, expect intense public backlash and renewed demand for one of humanity’s greatest achievements.
Thanks, as always, for being part of this community.
-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. And if you find this valuable, please help spread the word!