The Vaccine Intelligence Report: October 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. Designed to cut through the noise, offering concise information to help navigate the evolving immunization landscape.

THIS WEEK AT A GLANCE

  • ACIP plans to evaluate and potentially change the childhood vaccine schedule, though there is no evidence suggesting safety issues or other concerns
  • New polling found that public confidence in the CDC and its vaccine guidance has fallen to a record low
  • The Senate mass-confirmed over 100 Trump nominees, including new HHS Assistant Secretaries and a General Counsel
  • Measles outbreaks continue to grow in several states, and Southeastern states also battle whooping cough and flu
  • New research shows last year’s Covid vaccine helped prevent severe outcomes, but many Americans are unable to access this year’s updated vaccine

OUTBREAK OUTLOOK

Measles Outbreaks Continue to Grow as Officials Urge Vaccination to Combat Further Spread

  • As of October 7, the US reached 1,563 total measles cases, averaging 27 new cases reported per week since late August.
  • The continued rise in cases reflects active outbreaks across multiple states:
    • The outbreak at the Utah–Arizona border continues to grow, and state health officials warn that these upticks will likely continue—and that cases may begin to emerge in the northern Utah region.
    • More than 150 unvaccinated students in South Carolina are under quarantine following measles exposures across two schools.
    • Minnesota and Ohio recorded slight upticks in measles cases over the last week.
    • Across states with measles outbreaks this year—including Minnesota, Ohio, South Carolina, Texas, and Utah—the majority of cases have occurred in individuals who did not receive the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine.
  • Health officials continue to emphasize that vaccination is essential to prevent further spread. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), 92-94% of a given population must be immune—either through vaccination or prior infection—to maintain community protection against measles.
    • Experts warn that falling vaccination rates create pockets of susceptibility where measles can spread more easily, as seen in Texas earlier this year, where some schools and districts had over over 40% of kindergartners non-compliant with state vaccination requirements.
    • CDC data show that the national kindergarten MMR vaccination rate for the 2024-25 school year was 92.5%, representing a decrease from the prior year.

Southeastern US States Report Surge in Whooping Cough Cases and One Flu Death  

  • Florida has reported 1,295 cases of whooping cough as of September 27, representing an 81% increase from 2024.
  • Cases have also spiked in North Carolina, where Buncombe County’s 84 whooping cough cases as of mid-September already outpace the county’s 2024 total.
  • Also in North Carolina, one person has died of flu-related causes in the state’s first flu death this year.

Last Year’s Covid Vaccine Reduced Severe Outcomes, But Access to Updated Vaccines Remains Unclear for Some  

  • The 2024-2025 Covid vaccine helped prevent severe outcomes, according to a large study of US military veterans published October 8.
    • Researchers found that last year’s updated Covid vaccines led to fewer emergency room visits, hospitalizations, and deaths.
  • Yet despite ACIP’s updated Covid vaccine recommendations, some states and health systems say they still have not received the 2025-2026 doses for low-income children through the Vaccines for Children (VFC) program.
    • VFC provides ACIP-recommended vaccines at no cost to more than half of US children.

NEED TO KNOW

ACIP Will Consider Changes to Childhood Vaccine Schedule, Despite Lack of Evidence

  • The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) announced on October 8 the formation of a new work group to review the US childhood and adolescent immunization schedule.
    • ACIP work groups analyze scientific evidence and develop recommendation options for consideration by the full committee, helping ensure ACIP members base their decisions on the most current and comprehensive evidence available.
  • This new work group was not established in response to any evidence suggesting problems with the current US vaccine schedule. Instead, it will review the safety and efficacy of the existing schedule, including vaccine timing and sequencing, concurrent administration, ingredient safety, and comparisons with schedules used in other countries, per the CDC memo.
    • The ACIP memo indicates that the group will also examine aluminum adjuvants—ingredients that enhance immune response and reduce the number of doses needed.
    • A 2025 study involving more than 1.2 million Danish children found no link between aluminum exposure from vaccines and increased rates of any of the 50 autoimmune, allergic, or neurodevelopmental disorders assessed.
  • The review is expected to be a multi-year effort to “determine whether a change in the vaccine schedule may be warranted.” Notably, medical organizations including the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), and the American Medical Association (AMA) are unlikely to participate, following HHS’s August decision to bar members of medical organizations from serving on ACIP work groups—ending a longstanding practice of including these groups in the development of vaccine recommendations.
  • While HHS Secretary Kennedy and his allies have long questioned the safety of childhood vaccines, there is no credible evidence linking the recommended vaccine schedule to adverse health outcomes.
  • All vaccines in the US are continuously monitored for safety after they are authorized and recommended. When potential safety signals arise, they are rigorously investigated, and appropriate action is taken—such as updating guidance or pausing distribution if needed.
    • The establishment of a work group to revisit the entire vaccine schedule represents a significant departure from the well-established, evidence-driven system for ongoing vaccine safety surveillance.

ACIP Vote Expands Covid Vaccine Access for Pregnant Women, in Unexpected Reversal

  • At the September meeting, ACIP members voted to recommend the Covid vaccine for everyone 6 months and older through individual decision-making between patients and their healthcare providers—a process also known as shared clinical decision-making.
  • Although vaccination during pregnancy wasn’t directly addressed, the recommendation is broad and therefore extends to pregnant women as well—effectively reversing the unilateral decision Secretary Kennedy made earlier this year to no longer recommend Covid vaccines for healthy pregnant women.
    • This updated guidance allows pharmacies to administer the vaccine to pregnant women and requires most insurers to cover it without cost-sharing.
  • The vote has caused confusion because ACIP never specifically discussed pregnancy, and it’s unclear whether members realized their decision would overturn Kennedy’s policy.
    • Earlier this year, Kennedy replaced all sitting ACIP members with 12 new appointees, and the September meeting was marked by significant procedural confusion among the entirely new committee members.
    • The outcome surprised several public health and legal experts, who expected the new ACIP panel members—all of whom were appointed by Kennedy and several of whom have openly expressed skepticism about Covid vaccines – to restrict access rather than expand it.

Public Trust in CDC Falls to New Low, According to Recent Polling

  • Public confidence in the CDC has fallen to record lows reflecting an erosion of trust following a range of policy changes that have taken place under HHS Secretary Kennedy.
  • A recent KFF poll found that only half of Americans trust the CDC to provide reliable vaccine information, down from 57% in July 2025 and 63% in September 2023. When asked specifically about Kennedy, just 35% of those polled said they felt they trusted him to provide reliable vaccine information.
    • Notably, the issue appears to be highly partisan. Democratic confidence has dropped sharply from, while Republican trust in the agency continues to be low, though more Republicans report trusting Kennedy himself.
  • Additionally, in a recent Gallup survey, 42% of respondents rated the CDC’s performance as poor, the highest level of disapproval ever measured for the agency.
    • Prior to the Covid pandemic, roughly two-thirds of Americans rated the CDC as “excellent” or “good” in polls conducted in 2017 and 2019.
  • This decline in trust coincides with major changes to federal health policy and leadership, including efforts to revise vaccine guidance for children, confusion and divergences around Covid vaccine recommendations, overhaul of the CDC’s vaccine advisory panel, and the abrupt firing of CDC Director Susan Monarez.

Senate Confirms HHS Assistant Secretary & General Counsel in Mass Vote

  • Ahead of the government shutdown, the Senate used a new rule that allows for mass confirmation of executive branch nominees with a single vote. They confirmed more than 100 Trump nominees on October 7, voting along party lines.
    • The move significantly accelerated the confirmation process, in part by removing the opportunity for Senators to raise objections about any individual nominees.
  • The confirmations included Dr. Brian Christine, who will serve as HHS Assistant Secretary, and Michael Stuart, who will serve as HHS General Counsel.
    • Christine is a urologist from Alabama. In previous testimony before the Senate, he told senators that “vaccines save lives,” but he echoed Kennedy in emphasizing the “risks and benefits” of vaccines and the importance of personal choice.
    • Stuart, a West Virginia state Senator and lawyer, has been a strong supporterof “vaccine freedom” measures, including a bill that would have curbed state school vaccine requirements.

STATE POLICY SPOTLIGHT

  • New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed Senate Bill 3, which directs the state health department to rely on vaccine recommendations from professional medical groups rather than those of ACIP.
    • The state also confirmed that the new Covid vaccines will be available to residents without a prescription in the coming weeks.

REALITY CHECK

These fact checks respond to several recent claims made by different groups and individuals.

CLAIM: Aluminum in vaccines isn’t safe or necessary and likely causes asthma and other long-term health issues.

  • REALITY: Tiny amounts of aluminum are used in many vaccines as an adjuvant, which is the name for an ingredient that helps the body build stronger and longer-lasting protection with smaller doses of a vaccine.
  • Adjuvants—like all ingredients in vaccines—are subject to a rigorous review and approval process by the FDA and are only added when they are needed to make a vaccine work better.
  • Further, the amount of aluminum in vaccines is extremely small—far less than what babies and children are naturally exposed to through food, water, breast milk, or formula.
  • Large peer-reviewed studies and independent safety monitoring systems that continually track vaccine data have not found any credible evidence that aluminum in vaccines causes long-term health problems, such as asthma, autism, or other chronic illnesses.
  • While aluminum adjuvants in vaccines can cause mild side effects like redness or soreness at the injection site, extensive evidence confirms that the benefits of this ingredient in boosting immune response far outweigh any of the minor risks.

CLAIM: Currently administered vaccines fall short of rigorous, modern regulatory standards.  

  • REALITY: Because vaccines are given to healthy people—including children—they are held to exceptionally high safety standards and undergo some of the most extensive testing and oversight of any medical product. The US has one of the most comprehensive vaccine review and monitoring systems in the world.
  • Before any vaccine is approved for use, it must go through a multi-step process designed to ensure that the benefits of the vaccine outweigh any potential risks and that the vaccine works effectively. This process is robust and includes:
    • Clinical testing. Vaccines must complete multiple phases of clinical trials to demonstrate safety, immune response, and protection against disease.
    • Regulatory review. The FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER) reviews all data from lab studies, clinical trials, and manufacturing processes before a vaccine is licensed for use.
    • Ongoing monitoring. Once approved, vaccines remain under continuous safety monitoring through multiple systems, including VAERS (Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System), Vaccine Safety Datalink, and the Clinical Immunization Safety Assessment (CISA) Program. These systems are in place to detect even the rarest side effects and safety signals.
    • Quality control. Every vaccine batch must meet strict federal standards for purity, potency, and sterility before release, and facilities are routinely inspected by the FDA.
  • These requirements reflect modern scientific and ethical standards, and making claims that vaccines fall short of rigorous review and regulation is inaccurate and misleading.

CLAIM: Babies are given 82 vaccines simultaneously, and these vaccines are “massive.”

  • REALITY: Babies are not given 82 vaccines at once—this claim misrepresents the vaccine schedule and counts each dose and combination vaccine ingredient separately.
  • The recommended childhood vaccine schedule protects against approximately 16-18 infectious diseases, covered by roughly 30 shots spread out over the first five years of a child’s life (not including yearly Covid and flu shots).
    • The vaccine schedule is based on decades of data, and guidance on dosing and timing is designed to provide maximum protection during times when babies and children are most vulnerable.
  • The vaccine doses for babies are not “massive” and are specifically designed for their age and immune development. These vaccines are given in precisely measured amounts, as shown through extensive testing, to be both safe and effective.
  • In fact, today’s vaccines provide more protection, while using far fewer active ingredients. In the 1980s, a single pertussis shot had over 3,000 antigens—today’s entire vaccine schedule has about 165 antigens total.

CLAIM: Communities with low vaccination rates – like the Amish—have virtually no cases of autism.

  • REALITY: The claim that Amish communities have no autism because they are unvaccinated is false; autism occurs in Amish communities, and many large population-level studies have shown that vaccination status does not determine its prevalence.
    •  Further, while vaccination rates may be lower than the rates in the general population, many Amish are not entirely unvaccinated.
  • According to experts, while there is limited systemic research data on the prevalence of autism in Amish communities, autism does exist, and smaller scale research on specific communities in Pennsylvania and Ohio suggests that when confounding factors are addressed and controlled for, there may be little difference in rates of autism between Amish and non-Amish populations.
  • Perceptions that autism doesn’t exist in Amish communities likely stem from factorssuch as limited healthcare access, cultural differences, and lower rates of diagnosis and reporting—not actual lower incidence.

CLAIM: The significant changes to ACIP, the CDC’s vaccine advisory committee, over the past several months have been necessary to restore transparency and public trust.

  • REALITY: ACIP has long operated with transparent procedures including open public meetings, published agendas and minutes, opportunities for public comment, and conflict-of-interest disclosures.
  • ACIP’s previous structure ensured that vaccine recommendations were made through consensus-based, evidence-driven discussion among diverse public health experts.
  • Recent changes, such as the removal of expert members with experience on the committee and limits on internal deliberation, have raised concerns that these overhauls in personnel and procedure are actually reducing rather than enhancing transparency and scientific independence.
  • The reconstituted ACIP has deviated from standard operating procedures, as public access to meeting materials has been limited and expert CDC scientists have been excluded from deliberations, leading to confusion and erosion of trust.
    • For example, infectious disease physician and former ACIP member Helen Chu said ahead of the September meeting, “It’s not clear how the agenda items were chosen, and why the committee made the decision to readdress two safe and effective vaccines—hepatitis b and measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella (MMRV)—that have already been approved and used for many decades in the United States, or to change the recommendations for COVID-19 vaccines.”
  • Additionally, a lack of transparency and clear communication around recent vaccine policy changes have led to inconsistent guidance and public confusion.
    • The updated ACIP recommendation to expand COVID-19 vaccination for pregnant women—which effectively reversed Kennedy’s previous decision—is strongly supported by scientific evidence and leading medical organizations.
    • However, the public and health professionals are uncertain about the rationale and evidence review behind the changes, and the confusion has contributed to diminished confidence in ACIP’s deliberative process.

CLAIM: Parents should be concerned about the MMR vaccine—giving each vaccine separately is a better and safer option.

  • REALITY: Research shows that separating the MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) vaccine does not improve safety and the combined MMR vaccine remains the safest and most effective option for protecting children from these diseases.
  • In fact, separating the shots is actually the less safe option as it increases the likelihood of delayed or missed doses, in turn reducing protection and increasing the risk of exposure to these diseases.
  • The combined MMR vaccine has been used since 1971 and has a decades-long track record of safety and efficacy in preventing measles, mumps, and rubella.
    • It is important to note that although individual vaccines for measles, mumps, and rubella are safe and effective, they haven’t been available in the US for many years because the combined MMR vaccine offers the same protection with a proven safety record.
  • Giving separate, single-antigen vaccines would require entirely new clinical trials, which experts note would be unethical and almost impossible to conduct. Additionally, it would also mean more injections and doctor visits for families, and data show it would likely lead to lower vaccination rates.

WHAT TO WATCH

ACIP October Meeting Postponed Indefinitely

  • The October 22-23 ACIP meeting has been postponed, per the CDC site, and is now listed as 2025 TBD.
  • While the agenda is unknown, it’s possible the committee will discuss the childhood vaccine schedule, following the announcement of the new work group, and/or the MMR vaccine, given recent comments from the CDC Acting Director.
    • A two-week Federal Register notice is expected prior to the meeting.

Administration Uses Government Shutdown to Fire HHS, CDC Employees

  • The White House has used the government shutdown as an opportunity to fire more than 1,000 HHS employees as a part of the “reductions in force” (RIFs) initiative.
    • A number of CDC staff members have been fired, which reportedly include all personnel in the CDC’s Washington, DC office as well as employees in the office of the director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases and the Office of Public Health Data, Surveillance and Technology.
    • Some CDC staff received terminations that were rescinded shortly thereafter, including those who work on respiratory disease surveillance.
  • More than 32,000 HHS employees have already been furloughed because of the shutdown.

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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