There is very little that Americans can agree on these days. Half of people report that religion is very important to them, while more than a quarter say it’s not. Just under half of parents are satisfied with the quality of their children’s education, while the other half are not. Even sports, often considered America’s pastime, draw the interest of only a little over one third of Americans.
But one thing nearly everyone agrees on? Vaccines are good.
This simple fact has been overshadowed by fears about what will happen to vaccine policy under Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the new secretary of health and human services. Mr. Kennedy has a long history of vaccine skepticism, and critics fear his leadership could lead to interference with vaccine programs or even withdrawal of vaccines from the market. Such moves are already roiling some state health programs. In Louisiana, the Health Department will “no longer promote mass vaccination,” instead leaving vaccine education to medical providers.
What has been overlooked in discussions about Mr. Kennedy’s future agenda is one key fact: Vaccines remain enormously popular. Given this broad support, politicians should think twice about targeting something so widely valued.
Recent reports in the news media and medical journals highlight a decline in the proportion of kindergartners who have received the measles, mumps, rubella shot. In the last five years, national coverage has fallen to 93 percent, from 95 percent, and in some states like Idaho, it is as low as 80 percent. But while these numbers fall short of the national goal of 95 percent required to maintain herd immunity for measles, they remain a resounding show of confidence.
This confidence extends not just to the M.M.R. vaccine. Some 92 percent of American children received the polio vaccine by age 2, and more than 90 percent were vaccinated against hepatitis B. And it’s not just because of school requirements. Nearly nine in 10 Americans — including 86 percent of Republicans — say the benefits of childhood vaccines outweigh the risks.
Unlike children, who typically have regular checkups and managed vaccination schedules through their pediatricians, many adults don’t have a doctor checking in with them on immunization. Yet nearly eight in 10 adults have still received at least one Covid-19 vaccination. Four in 10 get the annual flu vaccine, which prevents severe illness but not infection. That number rises to 70 percent among older adults, the population most at risk. While there is room for improvement, these numbers are solid indicators that vaccines are in good standing.
Emphasizing the popularity of vaccines is not merely a matter of correcting the record. Studies have shown that presenting vaccines as a subject of debate or controversy can unintentionally reinforce vaccine hesitancy by making the issue appear less settled. For instance in one study, researchers found that college students who were asked to read a news report on vaccine safety that presented both sides in a “falsely balanced” fashion came away with the mistaken impression that the science on vaccine safety was in flux.
Another study, conducted in the Czech Republic, found that most Czechs underestimated the level of consensus among doctors on the Covid-19 vaccines. When researchers corrected this misperception by showing accurate data about doctors’ views, vaccine uptake increased by four to five percentage points. Making shots seem unpopular, even if they are not, could invite more skepticism.
That vaccines are popular should not dilute the importance of encouraging people to get them. Infectious diseases remain an important cause of preventable death. Measles, for example, is the most contagious virus known to humanity. An outbreak in West Texas has already put more than a dozen people in the hospital. And Covid-19 continues to kill hundreds of Americans each week, despite the availability of annual shots that remain very effective in preventing severe illness.
But the most powerful message may be the simplest one — routine vaccinations are just that: routine. Nearly all children receive them, and millions have benefited by being spared painful diseases and death. Leaders who undermine this basic tool may find themselves on the wrong side of both science and voters.
Caitlin Rivers is an epidemiologist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the author of “Crisis Averted: The Hidden Science of Fighting Outbreaks.”
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