"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” –  Philosopher and essayist George Santayana 

This could soon be our reality, as it seems we’ve forgotten how far we’ve come in preventing serious diseases and saving lives. 

Over 46% of children born in the 1800s did not make it to their fifth birthday.

Today, this number has dropped drastically, reaching its lowest point ever in 2020 where it is just seven deaths per thousand births.

Most of these deaths in the 1800s were from infectious diseases, which have also significantly declined over the last century. 

This is in large part thanks to vaccination and antibiotics created by medical science. In fact, vaccines have saved 154 million lives, including 146 million among children younger than 5 years old. Of those, 101 million were infants younger than 1 year old.

Dr. Leslie Treece is a practicing pediatrician in Cookeville, Tennessee with 25 years of experience in pediatric medicine. She also serves as the vice chair at Tennessee Medical Association Board of Trustees. 

Many years ago, in a small but lively Tennessee town, lived a man named Harold. Harold was deeply skeptical and had seen many things in his day. Whenever anyone wanted to talk about vaccines, he would wave them off, saying “Bah! Mumbo jumbo!” He did not trust vaccines at all. He would say, “All I need to keep me healthy is good food, enough sleep, and a strong immune system. There are too many vaccines these days. It’s all mumbo jumbo!”

Emily Delikat, MPH, CPH is the Director of Tennessee Families for Vaccines a statewide, grassroots, pro-vaccine advocacy organization.

“This level of engagement would have been unimaginable a decade ago. Today’s pro-vaccine advocates are not just reactive but proactive, building coalitions and mobilizing at a scale that we firmly believe will not just rival but overtake the anti-vaccine movement.

…

This preparation is critical as we anticipate new challenges at the federal and state levels. While RFK Jr.’s nomination is profoundly concerning, it has also galvanized the pro-vaccine community, creating a sense of urgency and unity that will be essential in the years ahead.

Yes, the challenges are real, and my heart breaks as we consider the real lives, careers, promising innovations, and economies that will be hurt by anticipated losses to our national infrastructure for health. But our story doesn’t end here. Pro-vaccine advocates are stronger, savvier, and more ready than ever before.

In the same way that high immunization rates shield our families and communities from the spread of disease, a united majority of pro-vaccine advocates will help protect us against the policies that threaten our collective health and well-being. “

Caitlin Gilmet is the communications director for SAFE Communities Coalition, the nation’s leading pro-vaccine advocacy organization. 

A helpful perspective from the Director of Arizona Families for Vaccines - "Kennedy’s messaging dangerously conflates good nutrition and physical fitness with immunity from disease, suggesting that vaccines and medicine are only necessary for those who aren’t “healthy.” While a balanced diet and regular exercise are vital to well-being, health also encompasses preventative medicine, including vaccinations. Vaccines are designed to prevent illness, keeping people healthy by shielding them from preventable diseases. By redefining “health” to exclude modern medicine, Kennedy misleads the public, starting with principles most people can agree on and ending in unscientific conclusions.

... It is essential that President Trump and MAHA advocates understand this balance and select leaders who recognize that a healthy America is one that embraces both diet and exercise as well as modern medicine."

"Now is the time for the pro-vaccine majority to make their support for immunizations heard. SAFE Communities Coalition and our Families for Vaccines state chapters will continue to advocate for immunizations policies based on science and evidence. The same policies that helped the United States to eliminate many vaccine preventable diseases—diseases we don’t want to see our children needlessly suffer from."

The reality is that most Tennesseans understand the importance of vaccination not only in their personal health but also in protecting public health. We recognize that good public health policy is not just about personal choice; it's about safeguarding the health of our families and communities.

And we know that vaccines are one of the most effective tools for preventing the spread of infectious diseases and keeping Tennesseans safe because we have decades of scientific evidence to prove it.

Jason Goolsby, DO, FAAFP - Family physician at Brownsville Family Medicine in Brownsville, Tenn., and 2024 President of the Tennessee Academy of Family Physicians.

It all begins with an idea.Foster families have a responsibility and mission to improve the lives of the children in their care. To bring children into an environment where they are medically unprotected from conditions that can have lifelong repercussions is not responsible or loving.

Tennesseans are better than that. I urge our legislators to uphold the vaccine requirements for prospective foster families, for the sake of all our children.  

Erin Floyd is a foster parent who resides in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

"Even if your children aren’t attending school in-person right now, they still need to stay up to date on their immunizations. This will not only help keep our kids and our communities healthy and safe while attending camps, sports and other fun activities during the summer months, but will also set us up for a healthy and safe school year come August.”

Dr. Dorothy Sinard and Dr. Barbara Dentz are twin sisters, pediatricians and child health and safety advocates in Tennessee. The are the founders of Tennessee Families for Vaccines.ea.