I Am Calling on Dr. Vinay Prasad, the Medical Establishment, to Break His Silence on Vaccines as Measles And Pertussis Spread Under His Watch

Measles is back. Pertussis (a.k.a. whooping cough) is back. And if your first thought is,
“Wait… weren’t we done with these?”congratulations, your brain still remembers the bargain
public health offered America: a few shots, and in exchange we stop reliving the pre-vaccine era.

In 2025, the United States reported 2,012 confirmed measles cases and
50 outbreaks, with most cases tied to outbreaks, plus three confirmed deaths.
That’s not a “small flare-up.” That’s a national alarm clock with no snooze button.
Meanwhile, pertussis has piled up in the tens of thousands in provisional national tallies.

So yes, I’m making a very specific call: Dr. Vinay Prasadand the broader
medical establishmentneeds to speak plainly and publicly about vaccines.
Not in jargon. Not in a memo. Not in a footnote. In plain American English, where the message lands:
vaccines work, gaps in coverage get people hurt, and evidence-based policy should be communicated like
the fire drill it isnot like a TED Talk you can catch later.

One important nuance up front: measles and pertussis aren’t “owned” by one person, and outbreaks are
driven by many factorstravel, local immunity gaps, access barriers, and misinformation among them.
But Dr. Prasad does hold a uniquely influential role at the FDA, serving as
Chief Medical and Scientific Officer and Director of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER).
When the country’s top vaccine regulator shapes the tone around vaccines, the ripple effects reach far beyond a regulatory docket.

Measles and Pertussis: The Comeback Tour Nobody Bought Tickets For

Measles: absurdly contagious, brutally efficient

Measles spreads so easily that a single case can ignite an outbreak when community immunity is thin.
It’s not “just a rash.” Measles can cause severe complicationsespecially in young children and
immunocompromised peopleand it also creates chaos: school exclusions, contact tracing,
quarantine guidance, clinic workflow disruption, and a public trust headache the size of Texas.
(And yes, Texas is on the CDC list of jurisdictions reporting cases this year.)

The CDC’s 2025 data show a picture that should make every health leader sit up straighter:
2,012 confirmed cases, 50 outbreaks, and 87% of confirmed cases linked to outbreaks.
That’s exactly what happens when measles finds pockets where vaccination coverage has slipped.

Pertussis: the cough that doesn’t quitand hits infants hardest

Pertussis often starts like an ordinary respiratory illness, which means it can spread before people realize what it is.
And while anyone can get it, the stakes are especially high for babies who are too young to have completed their primary vaccine series.
That’s why pregnancy Tdap recommendations exist: to pass protective antibodies to newborns during a window when they’re most vulnerable.

Provisional national reporting for week 48 of 2025 shows 25,835 cumulative pertussis cases
among U.S. residents (excluding territories) through late Novemberstill an enormous burden, even as it sits below the prior year’s tally at the same point.
The big picture remains: pertussis activity surged after pandemic-era disruptions and has stayed elevated compared with the “quiet years.”

The Vaccine Reality Check: This Is What We Know (and It’s Not Mysterious)

MMR: two doses, excellent protection

The backbone of measles prevention is the MMR vaccine (measles, mumps, rubella). The CDC’s routine schedule recommends
a two-dose series: first dose at 12–15 months, second dose at 4–6 years.
For unvaccinated children and adolescents, catch-up vaccination is available.

In real-world effectiveness terms, the CDC notes that two doses of MMR are about 97% effective against measles.
That’s the kind of number you want protecting your kid, your classroom, your waiting room, and your community.
It’s not perfectnothing isbut it’s powerful.

DTaP and Tdap: layered protection across childhood, adolescence, and pregnancy

Pertussis prevention relies on a series. For kids, the CDC schedule includes DTaP doses in infancy and early childhood,
followed by Tdap later. And because infants are at such high risk before they can complete their own series,
maternal vaccination matters. The CDC recommends Tdap during each pregnancy, ideally
between 27 and 36 weeks (earlier in that window is preferred). That strategy is associated with
a major drop in pertussis risk among infants too young to be vaccinated.

This isn’t theoretical. It’s practical. It’s how you build a “protection bridge” from pregnancy to infancy to childhoodwithout
asking newborns to handle an exposure they’re not biologically ready to fight.

So Why Are We Seeing Spread Anyway?

Because viruses (and bacteria) love a gap in the fence

Measles is a ruthless math problem: when community coverage drops, outbreaks become more likely.
The CDC reports kindergarten MMR coverage has fallen from 95.2% (2019–2020) to 92.7% (2023–2024),
leaving an estimated 280,000 kindergartners at risk in that school year.
That’s not a rounding error. That’s a stadium full of vulnerable kids.

Because pandemic-era disruptions had aftershocks

Routine care was interrupted, families moved, clinics were overwhelmed, and “catch-up” didn’t always catch up.
Add to that workforce shortages, insurance churn, transportation barriers, and the fact that public health departments
are often asked to do more with lessand you get the conditions outbreaks thrive in.

Because misinformation doesn’t just confuse peopleit exhausts them

Vaccine misinformation isn’t always a dramatic conspiracy rant. Often it’s “just questions” that arrive in an endless stream,
designed to drain time and confidence. Families don’t need perfection from the medical establishment, but they do need clarity.
When experts sound unsure about settled issues, it creates space for louder voices to fill the silence.

Why I’m Calling on Dr. Vinay Prasad Specifically

Dr. Prasad is not the CDC director. He doesn’t run local outbreak investigations. But he does lead CBERthe FDA center
that regulates vaccines and other biological productsand he serves as the agency’s Chief Medical and Scientific Officer.
In other words: he is in a position where his public posture can either steady the ship or rock it.

Recently, public reporting has described internal debate and external concern about the direction of vaccine regulation at the FDA,
including discussion of raising evidentiary standards and how those changes might affect public health preparedness.
Former FDA leaders publicly warned that a stricter approach to vaccine approvals could risk delaying improved vaccines and undermining
the nation’s ability to respond to infectious threats, while officials defending the approach argued it reflects a push for stronger science.
You don’t need to pick a side to see the problem: if the public only hears “fighting about vaccines,” they miss the part where
everyday vaccines are keeping kids alive and outbreaks smaller.

That’s why “silence” matters. Not because Dr. Prasad never speaks, but because the country needs a simple, repeated, public statement
from its most visible vaccine regulator:
Routine childhood vaccines are a public good. MMR prevents measles. DTaP/Tdap reduce pertussis. We should raise coverage, not raise eyebrows.

What I want to hearclearlyfrom Dr. Prasad (and the establishment)

• A plain endorsement of routine vaccination, especially MMR and DTaP/Tdap, and the importance of high coverage.
• A commitment to transparency in how vaccine evidence is evaluatedwithout fueling doubt about well-established vaccines.
• Respect for public intelligence: explain uncertainty where it exists, but don’t act like gravity is still under peer review.
• A shared message with clinicians: empower pediatricians, family doctors, OB-GYNs, pharmacists, and nurses with consistent talking points.

What “The Medical Establishment” Should Do This Week (Not Someday)

1) Speak with one voice on the basics

You can debate policy details and still communicate the fundamentals: vaccines prevent disease, outbreaks spread in under-immunized groups,
and getting caught up is both safe and smart. This message should be boring. Boring is good. Boring is what you want from measles.

2) Make catch-up easy

Offer evening/weekend clinics. Partner with schools. Use reminders and recall systems. Put vaccine access where people already are:
pediatric practices, pharmacies, community health centers, and local events. And stop making families feel like they’re filing taxes
just to schedule a shot.

3) Treat pregnancy vaccination as newborn protection, not a niche topic

Tdap in pregnancy isn’t an optional “extra.” It’s a protective handoff to the baby. OB-GYN offices should treat Tdap discussions like
they treat ultrasounds: routine, expected, and clearly explained.

4) Tell the truth about “breakthrough” cases without scaring people

Yes, vaccinated people can occasionally get infected. That doesn’t mean vaccines “failed.”
It means real life has variables: timing, immune response differences, exposure intensity, and underlying health.
The overall impact remains: fewer infections, milder disease, fewer hospitalizations, and fewer outbreaks.

Practical Steps for Families and Adults

If you’re a parent or caregiver

• Check your child’s records (school forms, patient portals, pediatrician records).
• Ask about catch-up if you’re behindclinics can build a schedule that works.
• Plan ahead for travel, especially international travel, where measles exposure risk can be higher.

If you’re an adult

• Know your MMR status, especially if you work in healthcare, attend college, or travel.
• Stay current with Tdap, particularly if you’ll be around infants.
• If you’re pregnant, ask about Tdap timing (27–36 weeks) to protect your newborn early.

Experiences From the Front Lines: What This Looks Like in Real Life

Here’s what doesn’t show up in a tidy line graph: the human scramble. When measles or pertussis starts circulating, it’s not just “cases.”
It’s a chain reaction that hits families, clinics, schools, and entire neighborhoodsoften all at once.

Picture a pediatric clinic on a normal Tuesday. The schedule is packed: well-child visits, ear infections, sports physicals.
Then the phone rings. A parent says their child has a fever and a rash and was exposed at a gathering. The staff doesn’t say,
“Come on in and take a seat.” They start the measles playbook: isolate, mask, separate entrance if possible, protect other patients,
notify the right people, and document everything. The waiting room suddenly becomes a risk-management puzzle.
Parents who came for a routine check-up now need reassurance that they weren’t unknowingly placed in harm’s way.

Now shift to a school setting. A principal drafts a letter homeone of those emails that makes your stomach drop.
It explains a possible exposure and reminds families to confirm MMR status. Some parents respond immediately: “We’re up to datethank you.”
Others realize they’re missing records or delayed a dose. A few push back angrily, not because they love measles, but because they’re overwhelmed
and suspicious of institutions after years of conflicting headlines. The school nurse becomes the unofficial translator between public health guidance
and parent group chats, whichlet’s be honestcan turn into the internet’s version of a food fight.

Pertussis creates a different kind of stress. It can start quietly: “It’s just a cough.” Weeks pass.
The cough persists. Sleep disappears. Work performance drops. Someone finally gets tested, and suddenly the household is counting exposure days.
If there’s a newborn in the family, anxiety spikes fast. Grandparents wonder if their Tdap is current.
A sibling’s daycare calls about a cluster of coughing kids. Nobody wants to be “that family” who brought whooping cough to Thanksgiving,
but bacteria do not respect holiday plans.

In OB-GYN offices, the pertussis story often becomes painfully practical. A clinician explains that Tdap in pregnancy helps protect the baby
before the baby can start their own DTaP series. Many parents feel immediate reliefbecause “protect my newborn” is a clear, motivating goal.
But some parents are surprised they need Tdap with each pregnancy. That’s where messaging matters: repeating the recommendation isn’t overkill;
it’s how you maximize antibody transfer during the window that matters most for that specific baby.

Pharmacists see the downstream effects, too. People come in asking, “Do I need MMR again?” “Is Tdap the same as DTaP?”
“Can I get vaccinated if I’m not sure?” These are normal questions. But in an outbreak environment, normal questions arrive with urgency,
and the system has to answer quickly and consistentlyor else rumor fills the gap.

The most consistent “experience” across all these settings is something nobody puts on a brochure:
preventable diseases steal time. They steal it from parents who miss work, from kids who miss school,
from clinicians who divert resources from other care, and from health departments already running lean.
Vaccination isn’t just a medical intervention; it’s a time-saving, stress-reducing, community-stabilizing tool.
And when coverage slips, we pay in disrupted routines and anxious nightsnot just in case counts.

Conclusion: A Call for Clarity, Not Theater

Measles and pertussis are not political accessories. They’re old enemies that return when we get complacentor confused.
The U.S. has the tools to shrink these outbreaks: vaccination, catch-up efforts, and clear communication.
That’s why I’m calling on Dr. Vinay Prasad and the medical establishment to say the quiet part out loud:
vaccines are a cornerstone of public health, and rebuilding confidence and coverage is urgent.
The microbes are not waiting for us to finish arguing.