This month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended a revised childhood vaccination schedule that dropped or delayed a significant number of vaccines.

The new schedule is seen as a threat to public health. It is widely condemned by the medical community and public health experts for having been adopted without an evidence-based, transparent review process. Major medical organizations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, are suing the federal government to block the changes and reinstate the vaccination schedule that was in effect in April 2025, before the Trump administration made changes.

Considering the stakes, VashonBePrepared is sharing a recent newsletter published by Public Health – Seattle & King County that reminds us of the public health benefits childhood vaccines have provided.

Invisible victories:
How vaccines transformed childhood

1,129,000. That’s the estimated number of children’s lives saved by childhood vaccinations in the U.S. over the past three decades. But the full story isn’t just in what did happen; it’s in what didn’t. Measles outbreaks that never swept through kindergarten classrooms. Respirators never turned on for infants with whooping cough. Wheelchairs never needed for children paralyzed by polio. Just life, uninterrupted.

Vaccines have quietly rewritten the story of human health, allowing children to grow up healthier than any generation before them. But because these vaccine victories are largely invisible, we don’t always give them the credit they deserve. Despite decades of research and real-world results, doubts about vaccines have become more common — not because the science has changed, but because the social context has. Anxieties have been stoked and collective memory of these devastating diseases has faded. In the absence of visible threats, it’s easy to underestimate what we stand to lose.

To understand what’s at stake when doubt and misinformation dominate, let’s take a look at MMR, HPV, and hepatitis B, three childhood vaccines that have radically changed our lives.

MMR (measles, mumps and rubella):
The vaccine that changed childhood

Travel back to 1962, the year before the measles vaccine made its debut. Measles—arguably the most contagious disease on Earth — was rampant, just as it had been throughout human history. Nearly every child caught it, and though many recovered, far too many ended up in hospitals with complications like pneumonia, brain swelling, or worse.

For some, the effects weren’t dramatic at first but threw curveballs later. People noticed that after a measles infection, they had a harder time fighting off other illnesses, even ones they’d had before or been vaccinated against — a phenomenon we now call “measles amnesia.” In rare cases, measles lay dormant in the body and caused sudden illness or death up to a decade after infection.

Then came the measles vaccine, turning an almost inevitable illness into a preventable one. By 1971, the MMR vaccine offered protection against two additional diseases: mumps and rubella. MMR is so effective that two doses prevent 97% of infections, and for most people, protection stretches across a lifetime. By 2000, measles was declared eliminated in the U.S., a major public health milestone.

But recent headlines tell a different story. In 2025, the U.S. reported over 2,100 cases, more than in any single year since the early 1990s. What’s behind the surge? Across the country and around the world, fewer people are getting vaccinated due to distrust, misinformation, and access barriers.

Here in King County, relatively strong vaccination rates overall have staved off outbreaks, but some communities have lower coverage. Every case carries the potential to spark a wider outbreak. Measles is knocking at our door and looking to exploit any vulnerability, but we don’t have to let it in.

The hepatitis B vaccine:
Protection from day 1 of life

Hepatitis B has an infamous nickname: the silent killer. That’s because many people live with the virus for years, even decades, often not knowing they’re infected as it quietly progresses and potentially spreads to others. By the time symptoms appear, significant damage may already have occurred, such as scarring (cirrhosis), liver disease, or liver cancer.

Fortunately, we have a highly effective vaccine for hepatitis B. The hepatitis B birth dose helps stop transmission from parent to baby and has had profound impact. Without it, 9 out of 10 infants infected during birth would develop chronic hepatitis B. Since the universal birth dose was first introduced in the early 1990s, hepatitis B virus infections among U.S. children and teens have dropped by 99%. It’s a striking example of how early vaccine decisions can protect health across a lifetime.

Still, hepatitis B hasn’t disappeared. Because the virus continues to circulate globally, it can re-enter communities through travel or migration. That’s why the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) continues to recommend routine hepatitis B vaccination for all newborns. The timing of the birth dose has been rigorously studied for decades and has proven to be both safe and effective protection against a potentially lifelong infection.

The HPV vaccine:
Proven cancer prevention

What if two vaccine visits could protect your child from six types of cancer? The HPV vaccine makes that a reality. Human papillomavirus, or HPV, is an incredibly common virus. Spread through intimate skin-to-skin contact, it infects nearly everyone at some point. Most infections resolve on their own, but some linger silently and later develop into serious cancers, including cervical, anal, penile, vaginal, vulvar, and throat cancers.

Since its introduction in 2006, HPV vaccine has led to an 80% drop in precancerous cervical lesions among young people with cervixes in the U.S. A recent study of 3.5 million people confirmed that the vaccine significantly lowers the risk of HPV-related cancers for everyone, regardless of sex. With nearly two decades of monitoring showing it to be safe, effective, and long-lasting, the HPV vaccine isn’t just promising, it’s transformative.

Grounded in science

The MMR, hepatitis B, and HPV vaccines are powerful examples of how vaccines have reshaped the human experience. Not through dramatic headlines, but through steady, reliable prevention. And these are just a few examples; similar stories exist for vaccines recommended at every stage of life. In a world where misinformation spreads faster than viruses, understanding both the past and the present reminds us of how far we’ve come—and why we can trust the science that got us here.

In the United States, the path from scientific discovery to a widely available vaccine has been governed by one of the world’s most rigorous regulatory systems. During every phase—from early research and clinical trials to FDA approval to routine vaccinations in clinics, pharmacies, and doctors’ offices—vaccines are continuously studied and monitored to uphold safety, effectiveness, and transparency. Public Health – Seattle & King County is committed to honoring this process, making vaccine recommendations grounded in robust scientific evidence. We are dedicated to working alongside our public health partners to ensure vaccine guidance remains accurate and evidence-based. Federal priorities may shift, but the evidence supporting the safety and immense benefits of vaccines remains unshaken.

Originally published Jan. 8, 2026, in King County’s Public Health Insider, the official newsletter of Public Health – Seattle & King County.

Vashon Pharmacy has two exam rooms for those receiving vaccinations and other clinical services. (VashonBePrepared Photo)