The Vaccine Intelligence Report: July 8-14

The Vaccine Intelligence Report—brought to you by Vaccinate Your Family—provides clear, fact-based updates on vaccine policy, research, and public health each week. This report is part of Viral Truths, a resource designed to cut through the noise, offering concise information to help navigate the evolving immunization landscape.

THIS WEEK AT A GLANCE

  • HHS is moving forward with plans to create a Covid Countermeasures Injury Table, which could clarify compensation for certain rare conditions linked to Covid vaccination, but experts caution that an overly broad list could unnecessarily fuel doubts about the vaccines
  • The Senate HELP Committee is holding a joint hearing today on the nominations of CDC Director nominee Dr. Erica Schwartz and ASPR nominee Sean Kaufman, while the White House weighs finalists for FDA Commissioner
  • The U.S. has reported 2,250 measles cases this year, with new or continued activity reported in multiple states
  • New research suggests ACIP’s September 2025 decision to stop recommending MMRV for children younger than 4 could disproportionately affect lower-income families and children enrolled in the Vaccines for Children program
  • A new report from the National Association of Manufacturers found that declining MMR vaccination rates contribute to $275 million in annual manufacturing productivity losses as parents miss work to care for sick children
  • The Ebola outbreak in the DRC and Uganda has reached nearly 2,000 cases, as clinical trials are set to begin for a vaccine candidate targeting the Bundibugyo ebolavirus

 

NEED TO KNOW

HHS Moves to Create Covid Vaccine Injury Table

  • The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is moving forward with plans to create a formal list of injuries presumed to be caused by Covid vaccines, treatments, and other medical countermeasures—a step that could make it easier for some individuals to qualify for federal compensation.
    • The development of a Covid injury table predates current HHS leadership and was first added to the federal Unified Agenda in 2023 under the Biden Administration.
  • Under the proposed rule, HHS would establish a Covid Countermeasures Injury Table within the Countermeasures Injury Compensation Program (CICP). The CICP covers vaccines, medications, devices, or other items used to prevent, diagnose, or treat a public health emergency.
    • The table would identify specific injuries that would be presumed to have been caused by a covered Covid countermeasure if symptoms developed within a defined timeframe. HHS has not yet announced which injuries or products would be included.
  • The proposed table would be separate from the Vaccine Injury Table used by the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP), which covers routinely recommended vaccines in childhood and pregnancy. Covid vaccines remain covered by the CICP rather than the VICP.
    • See below for a comparison of the current CICP and VICP activities.
  • The move is part of HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s broader effort to reshape federal vaccine-injury policy. Kennedy, who has a long history of questioning vaccine safety, has said HHS is working to overhaul the VICP and change how vaccine injuries are reported and compensated.
    • Earlier this year, Kennedy also removed members of the Advisory Commission on Childhood Vaccines (ACCV), which advises HHS on the VICP and changes to its Vaccine Injury Table.
  • A scientifically grounded Covid injury table could provide greater clarity and a more efficient path to compensation, according to experts.
    • However, the conditions included—and the evidence standards used to select them—will be critical. Legal experts caution that an overly broad list of injuries could be scientifically unsound and foster doubts about Covid vaccines.
  • The federal notice indicates that the rule will be proposed in November, with the public comment period ending in January 2027.

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Comparison of the current compensation programs.Sources: HHS (CICP), HHS (VICP), KFF

 

HHS Leadership Changes Advance as Key Nominees Face Senate Review

  • Today (Jul. 15), the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee is holding a joint hearing for Dr. Erica Schwartz, nominated to serve as Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and Sean Kaufman, nominated to serve as the HHS Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR).
  • Schwartz, a former Deputy Surgeon General during the first Trump Administration, is the fourth person named or nominated as CDC Director since last summer. The agency is currently being overseen by National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya.
    • If confirmed, Schwartz would inherit an agency navigating ongoing infectious disease outbreaks, workforce disruptions, and significant changes to federal vaccine policy.
    • Her nomination has generally drawn a more favorable response from traditional public health leaders than some earlier administration selections, and anti-vaccine allies of Kennedy have criticized her past support for vaccination.
    • The CDC is also undergoing another senior staffing change: Chief of Staff Matthew Buzzelli is leaving the agency to take a position at HHS. As Chief of Staff, Buzzelli has advised CDC leadership and coordinated agency-wide priorities and policies.
  • Kaufman would lead ASPR, which oversees the nation’s preparations for public health emergencies and coordinates access to medical countermeasures, including vaccines, treatments, and personal protective equipment.
    • His past statements on vaccines are likely to receive scrutiny during the hearing. Kaufman has questioned hepatitis B vaccination for newborns and raised the disproven claim that vaccines may be associated with autism.
    • Given the concerns that vaccines could be connected to autism, researchers—including those funded by the U.S. government—conducted extensive research around the globe to answer this question. Numerous studies have demonstrated that there is no causal connection between vaccines and autism. Kaufman’s views are particularly relevant given ASPR’s responsibility for purchasing and distributing vaccines during public health emergencies.
  • Separately, the White House is reviewing three finalists to become the next Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner: White House advisor Dr. Heidi Overton, oncologist and health system executive Dr. Jeffrey Vacirca, and Defense Department health official Dr. Stephen Ferrara.
    • The FDA has been led by Acting Commissioner Kyle Diamantas since Dr. Marty Makary’s departure in May.
  • As the below graphic illustrates, several major HHS agencies continue to operate under acting leadership or without permanent heads.
    • The upcoming hearing and pending FDA selection could help fill some of the most consequential vacancies, but the nominees’ views—and their ability to operate independently within Kennedy’s HHS—will remain central questions.

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OUTBREAK OUTLOOK

News on respiratory virus season, measles, pertussis, and other vaccine-preventable and infectious disease outbreaks.

Measles Cases Rise Across Multiple States

  • As of July 10, the U.S. has reported 2,250 measles cases in 2026—an increase of 52 cases since last week.
  • Several states reported new or continued measles activity:
    • Arizona’s 2026 total has risen to 110 cases as of July 14, which includes ten new cases since last week’s newsletter. Seven cases have been linked to an outbreak at an Arizona detention facility.
    • Iowa officials reported the state’s first measles case of 2026 last week (Jul. 8).
    • Pennsylvania’s 2026 total has risen to 105 as of July 13—an increase of 11 cases since last week.
    • Tennessee officials confirmed two cases of measles last week (Jul. 11), the first cases for the state in 2026.
    • Utah saw an increase of three new measles cases since last week, bringing the state’s total to 510 cases in 2026 as of July 14.
    • Virginia remains a measles hotspot. The state’s 2026 total has risen to 177 cases as of July 14—an increase of 10 cases since last week’s newsletter.
    • Wyoming officials reported two new measles cases this week (Jul. 14), bringing the state’s 2026 total to six cases.

Research Finds Vaccine Policy Shifts Could Deepen Access Gaps and Economic Costs

  • New research published in JAMA Network Open suggests that the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices’ (ACIP) decision to stop recommending the combined measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella (MMRV) vaccine for children younger than 4 could disproportionately affect lower-income families and children receiving care through safety-net providers.
    • Researchers found that nearly 15% of children in King County, Washington received MMRV as their first measles- or varicella-containing vaccine dose.
    • Children who received MMRV first were nearly four times as likely to receive their vaccine at a safety-net clinic and more than three times as likely to be eligible for the Vaccines for Children (VFC) program, which provides free vaccines to eligible children, including those who are Medicaid-eligible, uninsured, or underinsured.
  • ACIP voted in September 2025 to remove MMRV as an option for children younger than 4 and subsequently exclude it from VFC coverage for that age group. Families must instead receive separate MMR and varicella vaccines, requiring two injections rather than one.
    • Researchers cautioned that reducing access to the combination vaccine could create additional logistical barriers for families and make it harder for some children to complete recommended vaccinations.
    • Although ACIP has historically used an Evidence-to-Recommendations framework to consider equity, acceptability, feasibility, and resource use, the September decision was made without such an analysis, according to a related JAMA commentary.
    • ACIP’s removal of the MMRV recommendation has been temporarily blocked as a result of the ongoing American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) lawsuit challenging federal vaccine policy changes.
  • Separately, a new report from the National Association of Manufacturers found that declining MMR vaccination rates contribute to $275 million in annual manufacturing productivity losses due to employees missing work to care for their sick children.
    • The report cites the overhaul of ACIP and staffing shortfalls at the FDA as developments that may fuel vaccine skepticism, harm workers and their families, and limit industrial productivity.

Ebola Outbreak Continues as Clinical Trials Begin for a New Vaccine

  • The Bundibugyo ebolavirus outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda continues to grow, with 1,963 confirmed cases and 719 deaths in the DRC, alongside 20 cases and 2 deaths in Uganda as of July 13.
    • A second U.S. citizen has tested positive for the virus, which they contracted in the DRC. The individual has been admitted to a German hospital. No outbreak-related cases have been identified in the U.S., and the CDC says risk to the general public remains low.
    • On Monday (Jul. 13), the Administration also issued a notice under Title 49 blocking American citizens in the DRC from traveling to the U.S. on commercial flights until they have spent at least 21 days in a third country.
  • A clinical trial is set to begin for the first of four vaccines under development to combat the Bundibugyo ebolavirus, just 57 days after the outbreak was declared a public health emergency.
    • In the coming weeks, a trial of the ChAdOx1 BDBV vaccine developed by Oxford Vaccine Group will begin in a group of 50 healthy adults ages 18–55 years to assess its safety and immune response.
    • Serum Institute of India (SII) has manufactured and stockpiled 620,000 doses of the vaccine to support the clinical trial process.
    • The trial is supported by an $8.6 million program through the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI). If the initial trial is successful, CEPI plans to support later-stage trials to seek emergency-use authorization or licensure.
  • Separately, Galidesivir, an experimental antiviral therapy designed to fight broadly against the family of viruses that includes the Ebola and Marburg viruses, secured government approval in Uganda for compassionate use.
    • Rather than a formal clinical trial, a compassionate use authorization allows access to investigational drugs during a public health emergency to collect information on their effectiveness.

 

WHAT TO WATCH

AAP Vaccine Policy Lawsuit Moves Toward Key July and August Deadlines

  • The lawsuit brought by the AAP and other medical organizations challenging federal vaccine policy changes is advancing on two parallel tracks: an expedited appeal and continued proceedings in district court.
  • The AAP and the other plaintiffs must respond by Thursday (Jul. 16) to HHS’s appeal seeking to overturn the preliminary injunction that paused several federal vaccine policy changes and restored the previous recommended childhood immunization schedule.
  • Separately, under a new district court scheduling order, plaintiffs must file a motion to complete the government’s administrative record by Friday (Jul. 17). HHS must respond by August 14, followed by an in-person hearing on August 18.
  • The administrative-record dispute could determine which internal HHS materials the court considers when reviewing how the challenged decisions were made. The preliminary injunction remains in effect unless modified or overturned on appeal.

Vaccinate Your Family is a nonpartisan organization dedicated to protecting people of all ages from vaccine-preventable diseases. To learn more, visit us at: vaccinateyourfamily.org

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