Since 1967, Tennessee has protected students, faculty, staff, and communities by requiring certain vaccinations for children to attend school. House Joint Resolution 28, by Rep. Gino Bulso, threatens to make these requirements unconstitutional. School vaccination requirements play a vital role in keeping diseases at bay. Measles eradication is a shining example of the success of such laws. The return of outbreaks is a chilling reminder of their importance…Tennessee once proudly led the rest of the country in preventing disease. HJR0028 threatens to make us a leader in increased illnesses, hospitalizations, long-lasting impairments, and even deaths. Our General Assembly has the opportunity to choose the kind of example we want to be to the rest of the country.

This edition highlights vaccine hesitancy and misinformation around MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) vaccines as children return to school and measles cases resurge in parts of the U.S. We also examine emerging narratives around COVID-19 vaccine misinformation following the FDA approval of COVID-19 boosters and false claims linking mpox to the vaccines. Additionally, a review of recent research explores strategies to combat MMR vaccine hesitancy, and we discuss the growing use of AI in academic papers.

"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.