The statement below is issued by the American Academy of Pediatrics, American Academy of Family Physicians, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and American College of Physicians:
“Our organizations, representing more than 400,000 physicians nationwide, express serious concern and strong opposition to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) decision to terminate grants to study vaccine hesitancy and uptake. This action is a dangerous intrusion into critical work that seeks to protect our patients from vaccine-preventable illnesses.
“The vast majority of parents decide to immunize their children, and we know our communities are healthier when everyone is immunized with both the appropriate childhood and adult vaccines. This should include pregnant patients, who are more susceptible to certain life-threatening conditions when pregnant and who can pass on some protection to their infants following delivery. But as immunization rates have declined below 95% in many communities, it allows preventable and highly contagious diseases like measles to spread. This recission of research funding is the exact opposite of what is needed right now to keep our communities healthy.
“Peer-reviewed research plays a vital role in understanding how evidence-based strategies can promote immunization and protect against infectious diseases. It allows us to better understand how to communicate with our patients and families to address their concerns and answer their questions. The abrupt termination of these grants undermines efforts to combat misinformation and build public trust –work that is especially paramount right now as our country faces an active measles outbreak.
“Vaccines are one of our country’s greatest scientific achievements that work to keep our children, families and communities healthy and safe. We urge the NIH to reconsider its decision and reaffirm its commitment to supporting research that addresses vaccine hesitancy. The health of our communities depends on it.”
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About the American Academy of Pediatrics
The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 67,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults.
About American Academy of Family Physicians
Founded in 1947, the AAFP represents 128,300 physicians and medical students nationwide. It is the largest medical society devoted solely to primary care. Family physicians conduct approximately one in five office visits — that’s 192 million visits annually or 48 percent more than the next most visited medical specialty. Today, family physicians provide more care for America’s underserved and rural populations than any other medical specialty. Family medicine’s cornerstone is an ongoing, personal patient-physician relationship focused on integrated care. To learn more about the specialty of family medicine and the AAFP's positions on issues and clinical care, visit www.aafp.org. For information about health care, health conditions and wellness, please visit the AAFP’s consumer website, www.familydoctor.org.
About the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) is the nation’s leading group of physicians providing evidence-based obstetric and gynecologic care. As a private, voluntary, nonprofit membership organization of more than 60,000 members, ACOG strongly advocates for equitable, exceptional, and respectful care for all women and people in need of obstetric and gynecologic care; maintains the highest standards of clinical practice and continuing education of its members; promotes patient education; and increases awareness among its members and the public of the changing issues facing patients and their families and communities. acog.org
About the American College of Physicians
The American College of Physicians is the largest medical specialty organization in the United States with members in more than 172 countries worldwide. ACP membership includes 161,000 internal medicine physicians, related subspecialists, and medical students. Internal medicine physicians are specialists who apply scientific knowledge and clinical expertise to the diagnosis, treatment, and compassionate care of adults across the spectrum from health to complex illness. Follow ACP on X, Facebook, Instagram, Threads and LinkedIn.
Media contacts:
AAP: Devin Mazziotti (dmazziotti@aap.org)
AAFP: Julie Hirschhorn (jhirschhorn@aafp.org)
ACOG: Kate Connors (kconnors@acog.org)
ACP: Jacquelyn Blaser (jblaser@acponline.org)