The Vaccine Intelligence Report: October 7-13

The Vaccine Intelligence Report

October 7–13, 2026

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:

  • A federal appeals court heard arguments over Kennedy’s ACIP appointments as the CDC canceled the committee’s October meeting, marking its third canceled meeting this year
  • Lawmakers pressed Kennedy and CDC Director Dr. Erica Schwartz for answers on changes to federal health advisory bodies, childhood vaccine policy, measles reporting, and vaccine access
  • HHS announced expanded efforts to track suspected vaccine injuries, including changes to VAERS reporting, electronic health records, and physician reimbursement for adverse-event reporting
  • A controversial CDC-funded hepatitis B vaccine study in Guinea-Bissau moved closer to launch after approval of a revised protocol, though ethical and scientific concerns remain
  • Florida held a public hearing on a proposal to eliminate school and childcare immunization requirements for hepatitis B, chickenpox (varicella), Hib, and pneumococcal vaccines
  • The U.S. has reported more than 4,200 measles cases this year, with Pennsylvania surpassing 1,100 cases and confirming a sixth measles-associated death
  • Flu infections are growing or likely growing in all 50 states, while RSV activity is also increasing as the 2026–2027 respiratory virus season begins
  • New projections show that further declines in childhood vaccination rates could lead to substantial increases in infections, hospitalizations, deaths, and healthcare costs 

NEED TO KNOW

Appeals Court Weighs ACIP Appointments as October Meeting Is Canceled

  • A federal appeals court heard arguments (Oct. 6) in the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and co-plaintiffs’ lawsuit challenging Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s overhaul of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP).
  • In March, a federal judge issued an injunction blocking 13 ACIP appointments, the committee’s previous votes, and changes to the federal childhood immunization schedule, finding that the Administration likely violated federal law. The Administration is appealing only the portion blocking ACIP appointments.
  • During the hearing, government attorneys argued that the injunction has prevented ACIP from meeting and making recommendations, while attorneys representing the AAP and other medical organizations maintained that the committee could be reconstituted if appointments complied with federal requirements for expertise and balanced representation.
    • One member of the three-judge appeals court panel questioned the legal basis for the lower court’s decision to block the appointments, raising uncertainty about whether that portion of the injunction will remain in place.
  • Amid the ongoing litigation, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) canceledACIP’s October 21–23 meeting, marking the third canceled meeting this year. The committee has not met since December 2025.
  • A ruling has not yet been issued. The outcome could determine whether Kennedy can move forward with reconstituting ACIP, while the separate injunctions blocking previous committee votes and changes to the childhood immunization schedule remain in effect.

Lawmakers Question Federal Health Guidance Changes as CDC Director Defends Agency’s Approach

  • Lawmakers are seeking answers from Kennedy and CDC Director Dr. Erica Schwartz over recent changes to federal health advisory bodies and childhood immunization policy.
  • In a letter sent October 5, 17 senators questioned Kennedy’s recent overhaul of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) and urged him to restore the panel’s independence and scientific integrity.
    • The senators questioned the appointment of eight new members, the shortened nomination and review process, the removal of the panel’s vice chairs, missing conflict-of-interest disclosures, and whether staffing cuts at the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) could undermine USPSTF’s ability to develop evidence-based recommendations. They asked Kennedy to respond by October 15.
  • Separately, a group of 31 lawmakers sent a letter to Schwartz (Oct. 6), questioning the role she and CDC scientists played in President Donald Trump’s August Executive Order on childhood vaccines.
    • The lawmakers asked whether Schwartz or CDC career scientists were consulted on the order, what evidence supports reducing the number of diseases included in routine childhood recommendations, separating the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine into single-disease shots, and what role the CDC will play in any resulting changes to the childhood immunization schedule.
    • The letter also sought answers on the CDC’s reporting of Pennsylvania measles deaths and the delayed opening of Covid vaccine orders through the Vaccines for Children program. Lawmakers requested written responses by October 16.
  • Meanwhile, Schwartz addressed the agency’s direction at a Wall Street Journal health event (Oct. 7), emphasizing greater transparency, responsiveness to public concerns, and efforts to rebuild trust in federal health guidance.
    • Schwartz defended measles vaccination as safe and effective while also supporting Kennedy’s emphasis on listening to parents who have concerns about vaccines. She described participating in internal policy discussions with other senior health officials before Kennedy made decisions.
  • The developments highlight ongoing questions about the role of scientific expertise and independent advisory processes in shaping federal vaccine policy, as the Administration continues to pursue changes to longstanding public health recommendations.

HHS Details Expanded Vaccine Injury Reporting and Monitoring Efforts

  • HHS announced(Oct. 8) new details of a broader federal initiative to study and track suspected vaccine injuries, expanding on the National Institutes of Health (NIH) research clinic covered in last week’s Vaccine Intelligence Report.
  • The initiative includes several changes to how suspected adverse events are reported and monitored:
    • The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has proposed reimbursing physicians for time spent reporting suspected vaccine-related adverse events to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS).
    • HHS announced plans to require electronic health records to capture vaccine-related adverse events, while the CDC is modernizing VAERS to simplify reporting and improve tools for investigating potential safety concerns.
  • While improved reporting and monitoring could strengthen vaccine safety surveillance, experts have raised concerns about how the Administration may interpret and communicate findings, given Kennedy’s history of promoting unsupported claims about vaccine safety.
  • Importantly, VAERS is designed to identify potential safety signals for further investigation—not to establish whether a vaccine caused a reported health problem. Serious vaccine-related injuries are rare, and extensive evidence continues to support the safety and benefits of routine immunization.

Controversial CDC-Funded Hepatitis B Study Moves Closer to Launch

  • The University of Southern Denmark approved a revised protocol (Oct. 7) for the controversial CDC-funded hepatitis B (HepB) vaccine study in Guinea-Bissau, allowing the project to move closer to launch after it was placed on hold earlier this year amid ethics and justification concerns.
    • The CDC has moved to restore $1.6 million in funding for the project, which will reportedly be pulled from congressionally appropriated funds for CDC’s global health security programs.
  • The randomized trial would enroll roughly 14,000 newborns, with half receiving a HepB vaccine at birth and half not receiving it.
    • Researchers argue that no participant would receive less than the current standard of care in Guinea-Bissau, where the birth dose is not routinely given. Critics counter that the design withholds a proven preventive intervention in a country where HepB is highly prevalent and where infection in infancy can lead to lifelong disease.
  • In addition to ethical concerns, experts have also questioned whether the study can meaningfully answer the questions it is designed to investigate, given the long-term nature of HepB complications and differences between Guinea-Bissau and the U.S.
  • The Guinea-Bissau government must grant final authorization before the study can begin. Guinea-Bissau’s minister of health said on Tuesday (Oct. 13) that the ministry has not authorized the study.

STATE POLICY

Florida Holds Public Hearing on Proposal to Eliminate Four School Immunization Requirements

  • The Florida Department of Health (DOH) held a public hearing last Thursday (Oct. 8) on a proposal to eliminate four longstanding school and childcare immunization requirements, drawing strong opposition from medical professionals and support from parental rights advocates.
    • The proposed rule would remove requirements for HepB, chickenpox (varicella), Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib), and pneumococcal vaccines.
    • Requirements for other vaccines, including MMR and polio, would remain in place because they are established in state law and would require changes in legislation.
  • Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo defended the proposal as a way to expand parental choice, while physicians and public health advocates warned that removing the requirements could further reduce childhood vaccination rates and increase the risk of vaccine-preventable disease outbreaks.
  • The Florida DOH recently abandoned a separate proposal to expand immunization exemptions to include moral or ethical objections. The proposed four-vaccine rule change isn’t finalized, and the Department will continue accepting public comments through October 19.

OUTBREAK OUTLOOK

Measles: 4,267 cases have been reported nationally in 2026, including an increase of 482 cases over the past two weeks (Oct. 9).

  • Pennsylvania’s outbreak has reached 1,136 total cases in 2026, including 157 new confirmed cases in the last seven days (Oct. 9).
  • The CDC is offering states $100 million in funding to strengthen measles vaccination efforts, testing, and disease surveillance as outbreaks continue to spread nationwide.
    • Public health officials emphasize that additional resources are critical to controlling outbreaks and protecting vulnerable populations, including infants and pregnant women.
  • For more on other states driving recent measles activity, see here.

Flu: Infections are growing or likely growing in all 50 states (Oct. 9). Nationally, seasonal influenza (flu) activity is low but increasing (Oct. 9) headed into respiratory virus season.

Covid: Infections are growing or likely growing in 12 states (Oct. 9). Covid activity is low and decreasing nationally(Oct. 9), with overall acute respiratory illness remaining very low.

RSV: Infections are growing or likely growing in 33 states (Oct. 9). National respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) activity is low but increasing (Oct. 9).

New Interactive Map Projects Costs of Declining Vaccination Rates

  • Emory University researchers have developed an interactive map projecting the health and economic impacts of declining childhood vaccination rates across the U.S., including additional infections, hospitalizations, deaths, and healthcare costs.
    • According to Emory’s projections, a 20% decline in vaccination coverage over five years could result in an annual increase of 817,000 chickenpox cases, over 2,700 pertussis-related hospitalizations, and 158,000 RSV cases.
  • The findings underscore the potential health and economic consequences of declining immunization coverage, particularly as childhood vaccination rates continue to fall nationwide.

WHAT TO WATCH

Search for Permanent NIAID Director Continues

  • Steven Quay, a biotech executive who had been under consideration to lead the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), is no longer the leading candidate for the role. He is expected to take on a consulting position with the institute instead.
  • NIAID has been without a permanent director since March 2025, when Dr. Jeanne Marrazzo was placed on administrative leave and later fired. The Administration has also been taking steps to reshape the institute’s priorities and operations.
  • The search for permanent leadership remains unresolved, making the next nomination an important marker for how NIAID may approach infectious disease research, vaccine science, and pandemic preparedness going forward.

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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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