David Higgins
@drhigginsmd.bsky.social
Pediatrician | Public Health Specialist | Immunization Delivery Researcher | Dad | Views are my own. CommunityImmunity@Substack
This is a list of minor-planet discoverers credited by the Minor Planet Center with the discovery of one or several minor planets. As of January 2022, the discovery of 612,011 numbered minor planets are credited to 1,141 astronomers and 253 observatories, telescopes or surveys (see § Discovering dedicated institutions). .. more
Business
44%
Medicine
16%
Yes, even if we don’t lose elimination status, we shouldn’t be proud of where we are. And with our current trajectory, it’s just a matter of time.
North America May Soon No Longer Be Officially Measles-Free, Experts Say
A meeting of the Pan American Health Organization this week will address the resurgence of measles in the Americas
www.scientificamerican.com
PAHO meets this week to decide if we’ve lost measles elimination status. I warned in this interview that we’re marching toward that threshold—and getting this close signals widening vaccination gaps and eroding public health capacity.
🔗 www.scientificamerican.com/article/meas...
#Vaccines #Measles
🔗 www.scientificamerican.com/article/meas...
#Vaccines #Measles
Even small drops in vaccination rates for US children can lead to disease outbreaks
Most states require childhood vaccinations for measles, mumps, tetanus, rubella, chickenpox and whooping cough.
theconversation.com
Even small drops in vaccination rates can open the door to outbreaks.
In my Q&A with The Conversation, I explain why school vaccine requirements matter, how we monitor vaccine safety, and what’s behind recent dips in coverage.
theconversation.com/even-small-d...
#VaccinesWork #PublicHealth
In my Q&A with The Conversation, I explain why school vaccine requirements matter, how we monitor vaccine safety, and what’s behind recent dips in coverage.
theconversation.com/even-small-d...
#VaccinesWork #PublicHealth
Reposted by David Higgins
Even small drops in vaccination rates for US children can lead to disease outbreaks
Most states require childhood vaccinations for measles, mumps, tetanus, rubella, chickenpox and whooping cough.
buff.ly
Even small drops in vaccination rates can fuel measles outbreaks, says pediatrician @drhigginsmd.bsky.social.
His message to parents: stay up to date and talk to your doctor to get more information – not social media.
buff.ly/kTcrQWq
#vaccineswork 🩺 🧪
His message to parents: stay up to date and talk to your doctor to get more information – not social media.
buff.ly/kTcrQWq
#vaccineswork 🩺 🧪
The CDC says people must consult a health professional before COVID shot
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention accepted a controversial recommendation from outside vaccine advisers to tighten guidelines for the COVID vaccine.
www.npr.org
Today, HHS declared “informed consent is back” for vaccines.
It never left.
Doctors, nurses, and other professionals do this every day.
Real informed consent means clear, reliable info—not hyped risks or downplayed benefits. Anything else is misinformed consent.
www.npr.org/2025/10/06/n...
It never left.
Doctors, nurses, and other professionals do this every day.
Real informed consent means clear, reliable info—not hyped risks or downplayed benefits. Anything else is misinformed consent.
www.npr.org/2025/10/06/n...
Low-income children lack access to Covid vaccines because of approval delay
Two weeks after vaccine advisers approved new Covid recs, Kennedy still hasn’t given his approval, leaving states unable to order updated shots for low-income kids.
www.statnews.com
🚨 Delays in HHS leadership approving COVID-19 vaccines for the Vaccines For Children program mean millions of kids can’t get them. VFC covers ~half of U.S. children, including medically complex kids at highest risk.
#ChildHealth #VaccineAccess
www.statnews.com/2025/09/30/c...
#ChildHealth #VaccineAccess
www.statnews.com/2025/09/30/c...
David Higgins
@drhigginsmd.bsky.social
· Sep 30
The Fight Over the Hepatitis B Vaccine
A vaccine that prevents liver cancer is suddenly under attack
communityimmunity.substack.com
📰 The hepatitis B vaccine has nearly eliminated childhood infections and prevents liver cancer. So why is it under attack? I break it down in this week’s Community Immunity.
Read 👉 communityimmunity.substack.com/p/the-fight-...
#VaccinesWork #HepatitisB #PublicHealth #SciComm
Read 👉 communityimmunity.substack.com/p/the-fight-...
#VaccinesWork #HepatitisB #PublicHealth #SciComm
David Higgins
@drhigginsmd.bsky.social
· Sep 25
The President's Announcement On Tylenol & Autism: Discussing It w A Pregnant Mother & A Pediatrician
open.spotify.com
I joined Why Should I Trust You? to talk about White House headlines linking Tylenol, vaccines & autism. Honest, real conversation with host Brinda Adhikari, co-hosts & a mom of an autistic child expecting another baby.
🎧 Listen: open.spotify.com/episode/7MZR...
@whyshoulditrustyou.bsky.social
🎧 Listen: open.spotify.com/episode/7MZR...
@whyshoulditrustyou.bsky.social
David Higgins
@drhigginsmd.bsky.social
· Sep 22
Running Into a Brick Wall of Public Support
Inside a chaotic CDC vaccine meeting and how Americans’ enduring support stopped sweeping vaccine rollbacks.
communityimmunity.substack.com
📰 New in Community Immunity!
Last week’s ACIP meeting ran into a stubborn reality: most Americans—Democrats, Republicans, even President Trump—like vaccines. That may have tempered rumored sweeping moves to limit access.
communityimmunity.substack.com/p/running-in...
Last week’s ACIP meeting ran into a stubborn reality: most Americans—Democrats, Republicans, even President Trump—like vaccines. That may have tempered rumored sweeping moves to limit access.
communityimmunity.substack.com/p/running-in...
Reposted by David Higgins
RSVP 4 — The Evidence Collective
evicollective.org
11/ The Covid vaccine is only one of the vaccines ACIP will discuss this week. This resource breaks it all down👉 evicollective.org/acip-prebunk-brief-2025-09-25
Love,
@drhigginsmd.bsky.social
Annicka Evans, PhD
@sciencewhizliz.bsky.social
@unbiasedscipod.bsky.social
@ylepidemiologist.bsky.social
Love,
@drhigginsmd.bsky.social
Annicka Evans, PhD
@sciencewhizliz.bsky.social
@unbiasedscipod.bsky.social
@ylepidemiologist.bsky.social
Reposted by David Higgins
RSVP 4 — The Evidence Collective
evicollective.org
12/ HBV is only one of the vaccines ACIP is voting on this week. This resource breaks it all down👉 evicollective.org/acip-prebunk-brief-2025-09-25
Love,
@drhigginsmd.bsky.social
Annicka Evans, PhD
@sciencewhizliz.bsky.social
@unbiasedscipod.bsky.social
@ylepidemiologist.bsky.social
Love,
@drhigginsmd.bsky.social
Annicka Evans, PhD
@sciencewhizliz.bsky.social
@unbiasedscipod.bsky.social
@ylepidemiologist.bsky.social
Reposted by David Higgins
RSVP 4 — The Evidence Collective
evicollective.org
12/ MMRV is only one of the vaccines ACIP is voting on this week. This resource breaks it all down👉 evicollective.org/acip-prebunk-brief-2025-09-25
Love,
@drhigginsmd.bsky.social
Annicka Evans, PhD
@sciencewhizliz.bsky.social
@unbiasedscipod.bsky.social
@ylepidemiologist.bsky.social
Love,
@drhigginsmd.bsky.social
Annicka Evans, PhD
@sciencewhizliz.bsky.social
@unbiasedscipod.bsky.social
@ylepidemiologist.bsky.social
Reposted by David Higgins
Can you get a COVID vaccine this year in Colorado? Here’s what to know.
Can you get a COVID vaccine in 2025? Here are answers to all your questions about how to get a COVID vaccine in Colorado and who is eligible.
coloradosun.com
Changes at the federal level have caused confusion around annual COVID vaccinations, but Colorado has taken actions to try to maintain access to the shots. @drhigginsmd.bsky.social helps to answer some common questions: https://coloradosun.com/2025/09/08/covid-vaccine-what-to-know-fda-kennedy/
David Higgins
@drhigginsmd.bsky.social
· Sep 13
This is an important first step. More work lies ahead to ensure every Coloradan can continue to access and feel confident in vaccines.
Colorado will not sit on the sidelines while the ability to choose vital protection is taken away.
#vaccineaccess #colorado #chooseprevention
Colorado will not sit on the sidelines while the ability to choose vital protection is taken away.
#vaccineaccess #colorado #chooseprevention
David Higgins
@drhigginsmd.bsky.social
· Sep 13
doi.colorado.gov
This week, the Colorado Division of Insurance reinforced those protections by issuing Emergency Regulation 25-E-04, which requires state-regulated health plans to cover COVID-19 vaccines as a preventive service with no cost-sharing.
doi.colorado.gov/sites/doi/fi...
doi.colorado.gov/sites/doi/fi...
David Higgins
@drhigginsmd.bsky.social
· Sep 13
Wary of RFK Jr., Colorado started revamping its vaccine policies last spring
While Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., dismantles the federal institutions that set vaccine policy, states like Colorado are changing laws and regulations in an effort to preserve access to va...
www.npr.org
📣Colorado continues taking action to protect the ability to choose vaccination as essential prevention.
As I told NPR this week, our state has been proactive—passing two bills last spring to safeguard vaccine access even as federal guidance shifts.🧵
NPR coverage: www.npr.org/sections/sho...
As I told NPR this week, our state has been proactive—passing two bills last spring to safeguard vaccine access even as federal guidance shifts.🧵
NPR coverage: www.npr.org/sections/sho...
David Higgins
@drhigginsmd.bsky.social
· Sep 12
The Vaccine Brief: Lions, Tigers, and VAERS, oh my!
VAERS, Vaccines, and Next Week’s ACIP Meeting: What You Need to Know
open.substack.com
📰 In my latest Community Immunity newsletter, I break down what VAERS is and how its data are often misinterpreted or misused.
Timely reading as VAERS reports are expected to take center stage at next week’s ACIP meeting.
Read here: open.substack.com/pub/communit...
Timely reading as VAERS reports are expected to take center stage at next week’s ACIP meeting.
Read here: open.substack.com/pub/communit...
David Higgins
@drhigginsmd.bsky.social
· Sep 11
How to get a coronavirus vaccine and who’s eligible amid limited access
Here’s what to know about navigating pharmacies, doctors, insurance companies and the government when trying to get updated coronavirus vaccines.
wapo.st
Too many people still have to fight for the chance to choose COVID-19 vaccination.
I told The Washington Post that while I encourage parents and patients to advocate for themselves, no one should have to keep pushing for routine vaccines—or have access depend on their ZIP code.
wapo.st/4poiGto
I told The Washington Post that while I encourage parents and patients to advocate for themselves, no one should have to keep pushing for routine vaccines—or have access depend on their ZIP code.
wapo.st/4poiGto
Can you get a COVID vaccine this year in Colorado? Here’s what to know.
Can you get a COVID vaccine in 2025? Here are answers to all your questions about how to get a COVID vaccine in Colorado and who is eligible.
coloradosun.com
Can you get a COVID vaccine in Colorado this year? It’s complicated.
I spoke with the Colorado Sun about what’s happening and why vaccine access is so uncertain. Reporter John Ingold breaks it down for Coloradans.
coloradosun.com/2025/09/08/c...
@coloradosun.com
#VaccineAccess #ColoradoHealth
I spoke with the Colorado Sun about what’s happening and why vaccine access is so uncertain. Reporter John Ingold breaks it down for Coloradans.
coloradosun.com/2025/09/08/c...
@coloradosun.com
#VaccineAccess #ColoradoHealth
New data from a The Washington Post–KFF parent survey: 81% of U.S. parents support public schools requiring measles and polio vaccines—including 82% of Florida parents and 73% of MAGA Republicans! There is ipartisan support for vaccines!
#VaccinesWork #HealthyKids
thehill.com/policy/healt...
#VaccinesWork #HealthyKids
thehill.com/policy/healt...
Ahead of Kennedy hearing, GOP saw poll showing Trump voters support vaccines
The poll, conducted by veteran Republican pollsters, found that a majority of Trump voters believe vaccines save lives and support immunizations against measles and hepatitis B.
www.nbcnews.com
Republican pollsters confirmed what the evidence has shown for years: Strong bipartisan support for routine vaccines!
Conflating COVID-19 skepticism with attitudes toward all vaccines is misleading and dangerous.
#USAnotRFK #VaccinesSaveLives #BipartisanSupport
www.nbcnews.com/health/healt...
Conflating COVID-19 skepticism with attitudes toward all vaccines is misleading and dangerous.
#USAnotRFK #VaccinesSaveLives #BipartisanSupport
www.nbcnews.com/health/healt...
The FDA is questioning the long-standing, evidence-based practice of giving seasonal vaccines—like flu and COVID shots—at the same visit. It risks undermining decades of science showing that administering multiple vaccines together is safe and effective.
www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/...
www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/...
Florida’s Push to End School Vaccine Requirements—and Why Pediatricians and Parents Oppose It
Vaccines and public health—clear science and meaningful conversations for health professionals, science communicators, policymakers, and anyone who wants to stay informed.
communityimmunity.substack.com
In my latest Community Immunity newsletter, I explain why pediatricians, parents, & the public overwhelmingly support vaccine requirements—and what’s at stake if they’re removed.
#Vaccines #PublicHealth #SafeSchools
communityimmunity.substack.com/p/floridas-p...
#Vaccines #PublicHealth #SafeSchools
communityimmunity.substack.com/p/floridas-p...
Most Americans Favor School Vaccination Requirements, but Support Is Rising for Opt-Out Options | The Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania
Most U.S. adults support school vaccination requirements and policies requiring children to be vaccinated against preventable diseases.
www.annenbergpublicpolicycenter.org
📊 Annenberg survey: 73% of adults still favor MMR school vaccine requirements (86% Dems, 62% GOP, 72% independents).
👉 www.annenbergpublicpolicycenter.org/most-america...
👉 www.annenbergpublicpolicycenter.org/most-america...
New Research Finds Most Americans Strongly Support Vaccination Requirements For K-12 Students
A Texas A&M professor has conducted the first comprehensive study on the topic, surveying more than 16,000 Americans.
stories.tamu.edu
📊 Texas A&M study: 90% of Americans support K-12 requriements for measles, polio, chickenpox, DTaP.
👉 stories.tamu.edu/news/2023/11...
👉 stories.tamu.edu/news/2023/11...
Poll: 79% of Americans Support Routine Childhood Vaccine Requirements
Across party lines, most say parents should be required to vaccinate kids against preventable diseases to attend school. Opponents’ top concern: parental choice.
debeaumont.org
📊 Harvard/de Beaumont poll: 79% of Americans—and 72% of parents—support routine vaccine requirements. 👉 debeaumont.org/news/2025/po...
Parental attitudes and behaviors toward school and daycare vaccination requirements
Online report, Parental attitudes and behaviors toward school and daycare vaccination requirements
www.cdc.gov
📊 CDC survey: 77% of parents back school vaccine requirements.
👉 www.cdc.gov/schoolvaxvie...
👉 www.cdc.gov/schoolvaxvie...
Poll: Trust in Public Health Agencies and Vaccines Falls Amid Republican Skepticism | KFF
As President Trump begins his second term, the public’s trust in health information from key health agencies has fallen over the past 18 months, continuing a decline that began during the COVID-19 pan...
www.kff.org
And survey after survey shows parents and the public overwhelmingly support common-sense requirements for routine vaccines in schools...
📊 KFF poll: 83% of U.S. adults support requirements, incl. 76% of parents.
👉 www.kff.org/health-infor...
📊 KFF poll: 83% of U.S. adults support requirements, incl. 76% of parents.
👉 www.kff.org/health-infor...
This policy choice doesn’t expand freedoms—it strips families of the freedom to send their children to safe, healthy learning environments. It undermines community immunity and jeopardizes the progress we have made in protecting children.