How to speak up without starting a showdown
The News Literacy Project is a nonpartisan organization that helps students gain news literacy skills before they graduate from high school. Often, the tools they develop are helpful for wider audiences. Their infographic, “How to speak up without starting a showdown,” is one example. The single page shares six tips for talking with family and friends whose ideas differ from your own.
Should my child get vaccinated early during a measles outbreak?
We have been getting this question frequently during the last several weeks and months, so we recently added a detailed response regarding considerations for families with infants and young children. You’ll also find answers to questions about whether teens, adults, and those 65 years and older may need MMR vaccine. All of these are answered on the Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR): The Diseases & Vaccines webpage in the section titled, “Other questions you might have.”
The updated webpage also includes information about the MMR vaccine and the three diseases it protects against (measles, mumps and rubella) as well as a risk and benefit assessment for the diseases and the vaccine.
2025 Maurice R. Hilleman Essay Contest winners announced
Each year, the Vaccine Education Center (VEC) offers a student essay contest as part of our classroom program, called the Vaccine Makers Project. Recently, the 2025 student essay contest winners from the U.S. and Canada were announced. Students from middle and high school wrote about the importance of all citizens understanding science. A celebratory event in early May honored the students and their teachers. Keynote remarks were given by Arthur Caplan, Founding Head of the Division of Medical Ethics at NYU Grossman School of Medicine’s Department of Population Health.
- Find out more about the event.
- Read the winning essays (or hear the students read them).
- Check out the Vaccine Makers Project for classrooms.
Regarding the recent changes to COVID-19 vaccine recommendations
Recently, the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) worked with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) staff to change recommendations related to COVID-19 vaccines. Please take note of three important points about these changes:
- These changes were made outside of the usual process that includes a review of the science by a committee of independent experts, called the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). These scientists and clinicians make recommendations to the CDC based on a specific review process that includes various considerations, including the public health problem, benefits and harms, values and preferences, acceptability, use of resources, equity, and feasibility of the recommendation. (See more about the typical process in this video playlist.)
- The COVID-19 vaccine is no longer recommended during pregnancy. This change was made without any supporting evidence. What we know is that pregnancy increases a person’s risk for severe disease and can result in harm to the pregnant individual or their baby. Vaccinating during pregnancy also helps protect the baby after birth before they can get a COVID-19 vaccine because vaccination increases the antibodies circulating in the pregnant person’s blood, some of which are transferred to the baby through the placenta before birth.
- The COVID-19 vaccine is now recommended for children through “shared clinical decision making” (SCDM). While this sounds like a good approach, the reality is that healthcare providers and families typically discuss vaccine decisions before any vaccine is administered. In contrast, SCDM is a specific type of recommendation that is typically used when a vaccine may be useful for individuals but provides less populational benefit. COVID-19 can cause severe illness and death in any child, but those most at risk are the youngest children and those with certain underlying medical conditions. For this reason, COVID-19 vaccine should be routinely recommended as a primary series for children when they turn 6 months of age (or if they are older but have not previously received the vaccine), and boosters should be recommended for children with underlying medical conditions that increase their risk for severe disease in the same way it is for adults with similar conditions.
These revised recommendations are not based on available scientific evidence, and the Secretary of DHHS did not offer any new data on which these decisions were made. This is a dangerous approach for making health-related policies. Policies that have not considered what we know about who is at risk from infectious diseases will result in harm.
How to speak up without starting a showdown
The News Literacy Project is a nonpartisan organization that helps students gain news literacy skills before they graduate from high school. Often, the tools they develop are helpful for wider audiences. Their infographic, “How to speak up without starting a showdown,” is one example. The single page shares six tips for talking with family and friends whose ideas differ from your own.
Should my child get vaccinated early during a measles outbreak?
We have been getting this question frequently during the last several weeks and months, so we recently added a detailed response regarding considerations for families with infants and young children. You’ll also find answers to questions about whether teens, adults, and those 65 years and older may need MMR vaccine. All of these are answered on the Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR): The Diseases & Vaccines webpage in the section titled, “Other questions you might have.”
The updated webpage also includes information about the MMR vaccine and the three diseases it protects against (measles, mumps and rubella) as well as a risk and benefit assessment for the diseases and the vaccine.
2025 Maurice R. Hilleman Essay Contest winners announced
Each year, the Vaccine Education Center (VEC) offers a student essay contest as part of our classroom program, called the Vaccine Makers Project. Recently, the 2025 student essay contest winners from the U.S. and Canada were announced. Students from middle and high school wrote about the importance of all citizens understanding science. A celebratory event in early May honored the students and their teachers. Keynote remarks were given by Arthur Caplan, Founding Head of the Division of Medical Ethics at NYU Grossman School of Medicine’s Department of Population Health.
- Find out more about the event.
- Read the winning essays (or hear the students read them).
- Check out the Vaccine Makers Project for classrooms.
Regarding the recent changes to COVID-19 vaccine recommendations
Recently, the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) worked with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) staff to change recommendations related to COVID-19 vaccines. Please take note of three important points about these changes:
- These changes were made outside of the usual process that includes a review of the science by a committee of independent experts, called the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). These scientists and clinicians make recommendations to the CDC based on a specific review process that includes various considerations, including the public health problem, benefits and harms, values and preferences, acceptability, use of resources, equity, and feasibility of the recommendation. (See more about the typical process in this video playlist.)
- The COVID-19 vaccine is no longer recommended during pregnancy. This change was made without any supporting evidence. What we know is that pregnancy increases a person’s risk for severe disease and can result in harm to the pregnant individual or their baby. Vaccinating during pregnancy also helps protect the baby after birth before they can get a COVID-19 vaccine because vaccination increases the antibodies circulating in the pregnant person’s blood, some of which are transferred to the baby through the placenta before birth.
- The COVID-19 vaccine is now recommended for children through “shared clinical decision making” (SCDM). While this sounds like a good approach, the reality is that healthcare providers and families typically discuss vaccine decisions before any vaccine is administered. In contrast, SCDM is a specific type of recommendation that is typically used when a vaccine may be useful for individuals but provides less populational benefit. COVID-19 can cause severe illness and death in any child, but those most at risk are the youngest children and those with certain underlying medical conditions. For this reason, COVID-19 vaccine should be routinely recommended as a primary series for children when they turn 6 months of age (or if they are older but have not previously received the vaccine), and boosters should be recommended for children with underlying medical conditions that increase their risk for severe disease in the same way it is for adults with similar conditions.
These revised recommendations are not based on available scientific evidence, and the Secretary of DHHS did not offer any new data on which these decisions were made. This is a dangerous approach for making health-related policies. Policies that have not considered what we know about who is at risk from infectious diseases will result in harm.