The committee that sets national vaccine recommendations voted to change policies surrounding two major childhood inoculations after gathering last week for two days of contentious and chaotic meetings.

The 12 members, who were recently handpicked by controversial Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., also debated overturning decades of established practice around hepatitis B shots for newborns, though they ultimately tabled that vote.

The other two shots in play were the measles, mumps, rubella and varicella (chickenpox) combination vaccine, also known as MMRV, and this year’s COVID 19 booster.

By the end of the week, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, also known as ACIP, voted to no longer recommend the MMRV combination vaccine for kids under 4 years old, rendering it largely inaccessible for that age group.

The committee also voted to shift the COVID 19 booster recommendation to “shared clinical decision making” for all people over 6 months old — regardless of age or risk level — meaning that before getting the shot, individuals will need to talk through the pros and cons with a health care provider, which includes pharmacists.

Through this departure, the committee largely preserved access and insurance coverage, while also raising doubts about the effectiveness and safety of the vaccine, at times citing debunked theories.

“There is just widespread confusion about, ‘What should I do as a parent? Who should I listen to?’” said Northe Saunders, executive director of the pro-vaccine advocacy organization American Families for Vaccines, formerly called SAFE Communities Coalition.

“American parents and American providers don’t actually know what the best recommendations are anymore,” he added, “and so that is going to lead to more hesitancy, because there’s uncertainty about what the right thing to do is, and that’s going to lead to declining immunization rates.”

The Nashville Sounds mascot, Booster, hit a home run for health and got his flu shot. Way to go, Booster! Thank you, TN Department of Health and TN Department of Agriculture for being a part of this fun video.

Since 1967, Tennessee has protected students, faculty, staff, and communities by requiring certain vaccinations for children to attend school. House Joint Resolution 28, by Rep. Gino Bulso, threatens to make these requirements unconstitutional. School vaccination requirements play a vital role in keeping diseases at bay. Measles eradication is a shining example of the success of such laws. The return of outbreaks is a chilling reminder of their importance…Tennessee once proudly led the rest of the country in preventing disease. HJR0028 threatens to make us a leader in increased illnesses, hospitalizations, long-lasting impairments, and even deaths. Our General Assembly has the opportunity to choose the kind of example we want to be to the rest of the country.

Since 1967, Tennessee has protected students, faculty, staff, and communities by requiring certain vaccinations for children to attend school. House Joint Resolution 28, by Rep. Gino Bulso, threatens to make these requirements unconstitutional. School vaccination requirements play a vital role in keeping diseases at bay. Measles eradication is a shining example of the success of such laws. The return of outbreaks is a chilling reminder of their importance…Tennessee once proudly led the rest of the country in preventing disease. HJR0028 threatens to make us a leader in increased illnesses, hospitalizations, long-lasting impairments, and even deaths. Our General Assembly has the opportunity to choose the kind of example we want to be to the rest of the country.

We had an incredible time at the Capitol on Tuesday, sharing with our legislators the importance of vaccines and that protecting public health is patriotic. Shout out to the rock star advocates who joined us!

We were able to meet with most of our 2025 Vaccine Hero honorees and will visit the others this week. Each legislator honored received a certificate and a copy of the book, The Contagion of Liberty. We proudly recognize these legislators for their leadership and unwavering support for public health and vaccine access. We thank them for championing science, protecting our communities, and ensuring a healthier future for all. Their efforts inspire hope and save lives.

Sen. Shane Reeves, Sen. Heidi Campbell, Rep. Sam McKenzie, Rep. Yusuf Hakeem, Rep. Aftyn Behn, Rep. John Ray Clemmons, Rep. Bob Freeman, Rep. Sabi (Doc) Kumar, Rep. Ronnie Glynn, Rep. Gloria Johnson

Advocates Jen Fisher and Dr. Daniel McGinley are featured in this NBC Nightly News piece about decreasing vaccination rates.

Caroline Kennedy was critical of her cousin Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s views on vaccinations on the eve of his confirmation hearings for Secretary of Health and Human Services. It comes as vaccination rates for some diseases have been decreasing. NBC News' Erin McLaughlin reports.

Jen Fisher can do only so much to keep her son safe from the types of infections that children can encounter at school. The rest, she said, is up to other students and parents in their hometown of Franklin, Tennessee.

Fisher’s son Raleigh, 12, lives with a congenital heart condition, which has left him with a weakened immune system. For his protection, Raleigh has received all the recommended vaccines for a child his age. But even with his vaccinations, a virus that might only sideline another child could sicken him and land him in the emergency room, Fisher said.

“We want everyone to be vaccinated so that illnesses like measles and things that have basically been eradicated don’t come back,” Fisher said. “Those can certainly have a very adverse effect on Raleigh.”

For much of Raleigh’s life, Fisher could take comfort in the high childhood vaccination rate in Tennessee — a public health bright spot in a conservative state with poor health outcomes and one of the shortest life expectancies in the nation.

"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” –  Philosopher and essayist George Santayana 

This could soon be our reality, as it seems we’ve forgotten how far we’ve come in preventing serious diseases and saving lives. 

Over 46% of children born in the 1800s did not make it to their fifth birthday.

Today, this number has dropped drastically, reaching its lowest point ever in 2020 where it is just seven deaths per thousand births.

Most of these deaths in the 1800s were from infectious diseases, which have also significantly declined over the last century. 

This is in large part thanks to vaccination and antibiotics created by medical science. In fact, vaccines have saved 154 million lives, including 146 million among children younger than 5 years old. Of those, 101 million were infants younger than 1 year old.

Dr. Leslie Treece is a practicing pediatrician in Cookeville, Tennessee with 25 years of experience in pediatric medicine. She also serves as the vice chair at Tennessee Medical Association Board of Trustees. 

Many years ago, in a small but lively Tennessee town, lived a man named Harold. Harold was deeply skeptical and had seen many things in his day. Whenever anyone wanted to talk about vaccines, he would wave them off, saying “Bah! Mumbo jumbo!” He did not trust vaccines at all. He would say, “All I need to keep me healthy is good food, enough sleep, and a strong immune system. There are too many vaccines these days. It’s all mumbo jumbo!”

Emily Delikat, MPH, CPH is the Director of Tennessee Families for Vaccines a statewide, grassroots, pro-vaccine advocacy organization.