On Sept. 15, the New York City Department of Health confirmed two cases of measles in New York City — two out of over 1,400 confirmed measles cases across the United States this year, the highest in over three decades. While the department assured New Yorkers that vaccination rates in the city are high enough that most adults are immune to the disease, the increase in measles outbreaks warrants further attention at a time when healthcare is becoming increasingly politicized.
Intensely negative rhetoric around vaccines was one of the pillars of President Donald Trump’s campaign back in 2024. Republican leaders have framed vaccine mandates as an impediment on people’s freedom of choice, and Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. cited rises in autism in American children as a tragic consequence of vaccines — though studies have yet to show a direct, causal link between the two.
On Thursday, Kennedy held a meeting with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices on whether they should continue to recommend the M.M.R.V. vaccine — a vaccine that immunizes children from measles, mumps and rubella as well as varicella, also known as chickenpox. Five members in the committee were appointed just this week, while most of the other members have historically been vaccine skeptics. These advances against vaccines on the federal level have only contributed to the government’s loss of credibility and growing distrust from the public. Several medical organizations have already broken decades-long partnerships with the panel as vaccination rates across the country continue to fall.
Earlier this month, Gov. Kathy Hochul signed an executive order declaring a 30-day statewide emergency in response to the CDC’s termination of vaccine recommendations for healthy children aged 3 to 17, pregnant individuals and any adult under the age of 65 with no underlying medical conditions. However, several pharmacies across the state have been restricting vaccine access to these groups and causing confusion on whether they are required to be covered by insurance companies.
COVID-19 is once again on the rise in New York City as a new variant spreads and infections have begun to surge, and Hochul’s executive order expands who is allowed to prescribe and administer COVID-19 vaccines amidst the lack of federal guidance. Physicians and nurse practitioners will be allowed to prescribe and administer COVID-19 vaccines to children as young as three years old, and pharmacists will be allowed to prescribe these vaccines themselves. She also ensured that these procedures would be covered under medical insurance, allowing all eligible New Yorkers to receive vaccines despite it no longer being recommended by the CDC, and strengthening protections for those administering it from potential legal repercussions.
Making vaccines more available to the public is an important step, but it might not matter if New Yorkers aren’t willing to get vaccinated in the first place. Hochul must take greater measures to combat individuals’ growing reluctance toward vaccines. As the federal government pushes an anti-vaccine agenda and misinformation is readily available all over social media and the internet, the public doesn’t just need access to such healthcare — they need to be convinced of its importance.
For most of human history, infectious diseases were leading causes of death in humans. Tuberculosis claimed a total of roughly 1 billion lives, while 300 million people died of smallpox in the 20th century alone. In 1900, one-third of the American population died from infectious diseases including pneumonia, tuberculosis and diarrheal diseases, with 30% of those deaths being children under five years old. The advent of vaccines, antibiotics and successful public health measures has drastically lowered death tolls from infectious diseases — which only 1.2% Americans died from in 2019 — and made many diseases like smallpox disappear altogether. Just five years ago, scientists rushed to find a vaccine against COVID-19, which thus far has taken more than 47,000 lives in New York City alone, and posed devastating aftereffects on public morale, culture and the economy. Further analysis after the development of the vaccine found that the production of the mRNA COVID-19 vaccine prevented roughly three million deaths in the United States.
Earlier this month, California, Oregon and Washington announced the launch of the West Coast Health Alliance, a commitment to passing public health policies that are informed by trusted scientists, clinicians and other public health leaders rather than relying on the increasingly politicized views on scientific recommendations. Residents will be able to rely on consistent, evidence-based health recommendations regardless of changing federal perspectives, and immunization guidelines will be informed by respected national medical organizations. Hochul should make it a priority to restore public faith in vaccines by championing a potential East Coast Health Alliance, where more states commit to working with credible, scientific institutions for the future of responsible vaccination practices and public health policies.
Meanwhile, as federal and state governments go back and forth on the politics of healthcare, it is the responsibility of individuals to stay up to date on their vaccines. Despite what Republican leaders say about vaccine mandates encroaching on individual freedoms, getting vaccinated is not just a matter of individual choice — it is a choice made which affects the whole of the community. Vaccines are reliant on enough people getting immunized against particular diseases to ensure the protection of the remaining population who cannot receive vaccinations, preventing the spread and mutation of infectious diseases before they become larger concerns. When an individual’s choice has wide reaching effects on the public, their considerations need to go beyond their personal freedom and instead prioritize the continued good health of the public.
WSN’s Opinion section strives to publish ideas worth discussing. The views presented in the Opinion section are solely the views of the writer.
Contact Serin Lee at [email protected].
