The Cost of NIH’s Vaccine Research Cuts Will Be Measured in Lives
Hi Community,
I wish I weren’t sounding the alarm yet again with an emergency mid-week post, but the attacks on vaccines just won’t stop. This vaccine-related news is too important to ignore…
NIH Quietly Defunds Vaccine Confidence Research
On Monday (March 10), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), under the leadership of the new Secretary of Health and Human Services, RFK Jr., pulled funding for grants studying ways to improve vaccine confidence and acceptance.
This is not a rumor; several of my colleagues had their funding pulled out from under them late Monday night, and my own is in jeopardy. In termination emails, the NIH said:
“It is the policy of NIH not to prioritize research activities that focus on gaining scientific knowledge on why individuals are hesitant to be vaccinated and/or explore ways to improve vaccine interest and commitment.”
Read that again. No, seriously, read that again.
The NIH, the crown jewel of medical research institutions, is cutting off funding for research to improve acceptance of the greatest public health achievements of all time—which it helped pioneer!
This is Happening While Vaccine-Preventable Diseases Surge
The NIH’s indefensible decision was made while:
• Deadly measles outbreaks are spreading, with the outbreak starting in Texas now linked to New Mexico and Oklahoma. See my comments with NBC NEWS yesterday.
• The worst influenza season in decades has already claimed the lives of 114 children.
• Vaccination rates are dropping to dangerously low levels.
• Vaccine misinformation is at an all-time high.
The U.S. Has Led the World in Vaccine Innovation—Until Now
For over a century, the United States has led the world in vaccine innovation and delivery—from the polio vaccine (1955) to the MMR vaccine (1971) and the HPV vaccine (2006), U.S. scientists have led the charge in life-saving immunizations.
The NIH, CDC, and FDA set the global benchmark for vaccine research, safety, and regulation. And the U.S. has led the way in vaccine distribution and delivery around the world.
Vaccines have been a success story in the U.S. Over the past 30 years, childhood vaccines have prevented millions of hospitalizations and deaths, saving an estimated $2.7 trillion in societal costs for our nation. For context, that is over 40x what the Elon Musk-led DOGE funding cuts have reportedly saved.
Why, at a time when trust in vaccines is eroding, would the nation’s top health research agency defund efforts to strengthen vaccine uptake?
Why, when measles outbreaks are spreading and H5N1 is knocking on the door, would the NIH abandon work on our greatest tool to prevent emerging outbreaks?
Meanwhile, the CDC is Reviving a Long-Debunked Myth
Instead of investing in research that could protect communities, the CDC has chosen to revisit the thoroughly debunked claim that vaccines cause autism—a conspiracy theory born from a fraudulent study over 25 years ago.
As I wrote about earlier this week, this is not healthy scientific scrutiny. This is a reckless misstep that fuels fear, erodes trust, and diverts critical resources from real health issues, including research to understand the causes of autism and improving the lives of those affected.
The Consequences Will Be Measured in Lives
Vaccination rates will rise again—if not through policy changes or new research, then tragically, as communities are forced to face these diseases firsthand. The question is:
How many children will suffer or die before America reckons with the absurdity of defunding critical vaccine research while reviving long-debunked myths?
I have witnessed a baby gasping for air between relentless pertussis coughing fits. I have treated unvaccinated children who arrived at the hospital mildly ill with influenza and who never went home. I have held a child in the grips of a tetany spell, struggling for every breath. And I have seen the devastating toll of vaccine-preventable bacterial meningitis, leaving children with irreversible brain damage.
No family should ever have to experience this.
Demand Answers. Speak Up.
The NIH owes the American people an explanation. Our nation’s health leaders must be held accountable.
Elected lawmakers who trusted empty promises that new federal health leadership wouldn’t target vaccines must step in immediately.
This is an inflection point for public health. If you care about vaccines, now is the time to speak up. Call your representatives. Demand answers from the NIH and our nation’s health leaders.
The cost of these actions will be measured in lives.
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!
The attacks on science and the health and safety of our communities is relentless lately. Thank you for all that you do!
There were over 17 million mrna deaths the equivalent of world war II but here you are.
Let's stop the so-called vaccines & save thousands more lives