Turning up the Volume on Vaccine Advocacy

By Candace DeMatteis

In the 2024–25 school year, over nine of every 10 children received their recommended vaccinations. So, let’s be clear: While those who are skeptical about vaccines get the lion’s share of attention on social media, the people who believe in the merit of vaccines and make sure their children get the disease protection they need represent an overwhelming silent majority.

Unfortunately, as we’ve seen of late, that nine-out-of-10 number isn’t quite good enough, not when the threshold to prevent the transmission of the measles virus is a 95% vaccination rate and the United States is currently sitting at 92.5%. Consequently, measles outbreaks have been occurring throughout the country, including a recent one in South Carolina that sickened over a thousand children over six months and led to health complications that included pneumonia and brain swelling. Another outbreak in Texas last year claimed the lives of two unvaccinated children.

Clearly, having a silent majority isn’t good enough. Those who understand the value and necessity of vaccines need to make their advocacy louder and more persistent.

There is a pervasiveness of anti-vaccine sentiment in this country, driven in large part by the persistent dissemination of misinformation. It’s manifested itself in various odd and damaging ways, such as:

• A significant increase in the number of parents who are rejecting Vitamin K shots for their newborn infants. Babies are often born without adequate levels of Vitamin K and, without an injection, can have bleeding under the skin or in the brain and suffer traumatic and even fatal injuries.

• A growing number of patients who need transfusions and request unvaccinated blood, frequently leading to delay in necessary care.

• A global spillover, affecting people around the world. Even in Australia, long known for its pro-vaccination culture, immunization advocates say that vaccine skepticism in the United States is eroding trust and acceptance of vaccines in their country.

This skepticism flies in the face of overwhelming evidence regarding vaccine effectiveness. A study published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that among children born over a 30-year period from 1994 to 2023, vaccines prevented 508 million cases of illness, 32 million hospitalizations, and more than 1.1 million deaths. There are economic benefits as well, as this disease prevention enabled the avoidance of $2.7 trillion in societal costs.

And, from an episodic perspective, that measles outbreak in South Carolina? It was declared resolved in late April. Officials credited a combination of contract tracing, isolating sick and exposed individuals, and, yes, vaccinations.

The good news is that minds on this topic can be changed. A study published earlier this year by The Lancet found that initial COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in the United Kingdom was gradually worn down by sustained communications and the use of compelling medical evidence. That evidence is plentiful when it comes to the current roster of vaccines and the need to disseminate it is as strong as ever.

At Penn Quarter Partners, our policy advocacy and strategic planning teams are focused on ensuring that federal and state legislation and regulations ensure necessary access to vaccine and, looking to the future, promote continued innovation in this sphere so that more diseases can be a part of our past and not a threat to our future.