An urgent, unified message has been issued by the presidents of five of the United States’ leading medical associations, representing the doctors Americans trust across every stage of life. The leaders of the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Physicians, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and the Infectious Diseases Society of America are speaking out clearly: Immunizations are highly effective, safe, and save lives.
Vaccines stand among the most rigorously studied tools in public health, having dramatically reduced disease rates and saved millions globally. Through widespread immunization efforts, debilitating and fatal diseases that once caused widespread suffering, hospitalization, and death have been eradicated or significantly controlled. Historically, vaccines have averted an estimated 150 million infant and child deaths in the last 50 years alone and have been instrumental in nearly eradicating polio worldwide and controlling diseases like HPV and Rotavirus.
Threats to Public Health Progress
Despite these monumental successes, this vital public health legacy is now under serious threat. A confluence of factors, including rampant misinformation, the politicization of common-sense health measures, and recent disruptive shifts in federal vaccine guidance, is creating widespread confusion and eroding trust in public health institutions and scientific evidence.
These policy shifts are particularly concerning. Recent reports indicate disruptions at key advisory bodies like the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), with meetings characterized by the introduction of previously dismissed theories and the empowerment of individuals holding views outside the scientific consensus. This kind of influence risks undermining established, evidence-based recommendations for critical immunizations.
As the nation heads into another fall and winter season, typically marked by respiratory illnesses like flu, Covid-19, and RSV, the stakes are compounded by the alarming resurgence of preventable diseases such as measles and pertussis (whooping cough). Measles, once declared eliminated in the U.S. in 2000 thanks to widespread vaccination, has seen concerning outbreaks in recent years, highlighting the direct consequences of falling vaccination rates.
These are not abstract threats. They represent real dangers, particularly for vulnerable populations including infants, seniors, pregnant individuals, and those with underlying health conditions. Physicians across specialties witness the impact daily – caring for children hospitalized with pneumonia from RSV or pertussis, pregnant patients suffering severe complications from preventable Covid-19 or influenza, or older adults arriving in the emergency room with avoidable flu or RSV infections. These are your family members, your neighbors, your community.
Trusted Voices for Vaccine Science
In moments of uncertainty fueled by conflicting messages and online falsehoods, patients increasingly rely on their trusted physicians for accurate information grounded in medical training and the best available scientific evidence.
Therefore, these leading medical organizations are making their stance unequivocally clear:
They will strongly continue recommending vaccines based on decades of evidence and ongoing safety data.
They will continue having compassionate, honest conversations with patients and families in clinics, schools, and communities about vaccine safety and necessity to build essential population immunity, also known as herd immunity, which protects those who cannot be vaccinated.
- They call upon health system partners – insurers, hospitals, pharmacies, and public health agencies – to ensure vaccines remain available, accessible, and affordable for people of all ages. Any barrier to immunization represents a significant threat to public health, potentially leading to outbreaks of preventable diseases when vaccination coverage drops below critical levels needed for community protection.
- www.statnews.com
- www.statnews.com
- www.cfr.org
- www.ama-assn.org
- www.npr.org
History provides a stark warning: when trust in science falters and immunization rates decline, preventable diseases rapidly return, causing needless suffering and death.
Leading with Evidence and Courage
That is why these medical leaders declare, “We will not stay silent.” They pledge to continue speaking truth to policymakers and providing accurate, scientifically sound information amidst the “swirling eddies” of misinformation. Their role extends beyond providing care; it is to lead by upholding the value of evidence-based medicine. Many of these organizations are collaborating to ensure patients and members have reliable guidance in challenging information environments.
The United States needs strong, scientific, evidence-based public health leadership to navigate current challenges and protect its population. Immunizations benefit not just individuals but entire communities, helping keep children in school, workers on the job, hospital beds available, and preventing terrible diseases from claiming lives.
Medical physicians and experts must rely on what is known to work based on decades of rigorous study. This moment demands clarity, consistency, and courage from every health care leader to stand firmly in support of the science behind vaccines that save lives.
The commitment is resolute: they are not going anywhere and will continue advocating for the health and well-being of their patients and communities.
