Protecting Vaccine Integrity in the US
In response to growing concerns about vaccine misinformation and potential threats to public confidence and access in the United States, a coalition of public health experts has launched the Vaccine Integrity Project. This initiative aims to safeguard vaccine policy and ensure continued trust in the safety and effectiveness of vaccines amid a challenging landscape.
The Vaccine Integrity Project is supported by a foundation funded by Christy Walton, heiress to the Walmart fortune, and is guided by a steering committee led by former FDA Commissioner Dr. Margaret Hamburg and Dr. Harvey Fineberg, former president of the National Academy of Medicine. Dr. Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, is spearheading the effort.
Osterholm explained that the project’s purpose is to prepare for potential disruptions in vaccine information and policy, particularly in light of recent events that have raised alarm within the public health community. “We’ve been discussing for months how to respond if the federal government’s vaccine information becomes unreliable or if the systems that ensure vaccine safety and efficacy are compromised,” he said.
The initiative comes amid controversy surrounding US Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has questioned the safety of the measles vaccine during an outbreak, accused federal health advisors of conflicts of interest, and promised a large-scale study attempting to link vaccines with autism—claims experts widely reject.
HHS spokesperson Andrew Nixon criticized the project, calling it a “self-appointed echo chamber” and accused its leaders of trying to defend a “public health bureaucracy” that failed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Nixon emphasized that Kennedy and NIH Director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya intend to uphold scientific rigor and promote open debate in vaccine policy decisions.
Despite this pushback, the Vaccine Integrity Project is moving forward by organizing a series of meetings to gather input from a broad range of stakeholders, including public health officials, medical professionals, academics, policymakers, and industry representatives. The goal is to identify what measures should be in place if the federal government’s vaccine-related guidance is undermined.
“We can’t yet say that federal vaccine efforts have been compromised, but we’re seeing enough signals that it might happen,” Osterholm noted. He highlighted recent developments, such as a bill introduced in Minnesota declaring mRNA vaccines a “weapon of mass destruction,” which could lead to criminal charges for their use.
Osterholm questioned who would respond to such legislative moves if the federal government remains silent. “That’s precisely the kind of gap this project seeks to address,” he said.
In a commentary published alongside the project’s announcement, Hamburg and Fineberg stressed the urgency of proactive measures. “We cannot allow diseases preventable by vaccines, like measles and whooping cough, to make a comeback in the US, causing needless illness and death,” they wrote.
They also warned of the risks posed by Kennedy’s anti-vaccine history, anticipating that he could leverage his position to limit vaccine availability and discourage immunizations.
The Vaccine Integrity Project’s initial consultation phase began this month and will continue through early August. Osterholm expressed hope that, through dialogue with diverse groups, the project will reach consensus on the best strategies to protect the nation’s vaccine enterprise.
“We don’t yet know what the final outcome will be,” he said. “But by listening closely, we aim to develop a unified approach to ensure vaccines remain safe, accessible, and trusted.”
