June 01, 2020
Pediatricians and Medical Leaders Warn that Low Child Vaccine Rates Pose Huge Risk Amid COVID-19 Pandemic
In the U.S., our children rarely fall ill to grave infections because they are protected by vaccines. Serious illnesses like measles, mumps, congenital rubella syndrome, chickenpox, diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, rotavirus diarrhea, hepatitis (A and B), polio and bacterial meningitis are all preventable through routine childhood vaccinations.
It is not magic that keeps our children safe from these many serious illnesses, it is vaccines — routine delivery of safe and effective vaccines. What will happen if we stop vaccinating or if we reduce our vaccination rates? These diseases will return. We will have epidemics of these old diseases during an unprecedented pandemic of a new disease.
Yet, during the pandemic, we have seen a staggering reduction in the proportion of children vaccinated, despite recommendations by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Maryland Department of Health, agencies that have provided guidance for us to continue to deliver vaccination services to children.
We all are hopeful that clinical trials of vaccines and therapeutics for COVID-19 lead to licensed products that are safe and effective, but we must not forget to continue to provide child vaccines, the most important protections against infections that we already have available.
In Maryland alone, there has been a 32% reduction in all vaccines given to children from birth to 11 months of age and a 47% decline in 12 to 23-month-old toddlers. Even more alarming, as we begin a reentry into greater normalcy, after weeks of stay-at-home mandates, Maryland’s pre-kindergarten vaccine rates have collapsed by an astounding 76%. Vaccines for measles, mumps and rubella alone, which critically protect our children from measles, have tumbled 71% In March and April, 15,950 fewer children in Maryland received this vaccine when compared to the same time last year.
Under-vaccination is widespread in the U.S., not just in Maryland, as reported by the CDC. We are at serious risk for calamitous syndemics of COVID-19 plus other highly contagious diseases, like whooping cough and measles, if we do not return to the rates of protection we had before the pandemic.
Without vaccination of our children, the SARS-CoV-2 virus will win another victory.
In 2019, when measles hit many communities in the U.S., leading to 1,282 cases, Maryland was spared. Only five of our children were infected and there was no significant person-to-person spread. In 2017 and 2018, there was only a single case of measles in Maryland each year. This year, so far: none. Why? Not magic; we vaccinate.
Right now, with almost no one traveling and very little personal contact outside the home, these contagious pathogens cannot gain a foothold. But, once people start moving, so do viruses and bacteria. If our children remain unprotected when we fully “reopen,” reemergence of diseases that were once kept at bay by vaccines is inevitable.
Why are we not vaccinating? There are overlapping reasons. Families are sometimes scared to travel to or enter any health care facility for fear of getting COVID-19. Communities have received mixed messages about what kinds of care are essential. There is confusion about whether care providers are open and which hours are for sick or well children. We want to assure families that pediatricians are open, safe and eager to see their children.
Importantly, in a COVID-19 world, families may feel that the only care warranted is for “urgent” medical problems, like acute illnesses, and they may underestimate the vital importance of vaccines for our children. This is especially true as many providers have come to rely on “telemedicine” for visits that can be done remotely. During these encounters, we may fail to prioritize communications to families about the importance of timely, complete childhood vaccinations.
We cannot allow COVID-19 to take a greater toll on us than it already has by leading to the unintended consequence of vaccine-preventable disease outbreaks in our communities. Pediatricians, parents, researchers, advocates, educators, officials, and everyone who cares for children need to fix this problem now. We owe it to the children. If we don’t speak up for them, who will?
By James Campbell, MD, MS Professor of Pediatrics, University of Maryland School of Medicine and Chair, Sub-Committee on Immunizations, Committee on Infectious Diseases, American Academy of Pediatrics
Jay Perman, MD, Chancellor, University System of Maryland, and Professor of Pediatrics, University of Maryland School of Medicine
Bruce Jarrell, MD, FACS, Interim President, University of Maryland, Baltimore
Albert Reece, MD, PhD, MBA, Dean, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Executive Vice President for Medical Affairs, UM Baltimore, and the John Z. and Akiko K. Bowers Distinguished Professor, University of Maryland School of Medicine
Steven Czinn, MD, Drs. Rouben and Violet Jiji Endowed Professor and Chair, Department of Pediatrics, University of Maryland School of Medicine
Karen Kotloff, MD, Professor of Pediatrics, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Director Infectious Diseases and Tropical Pediatrics
Tina Cheng, MD, MPH, Pediatrician-in-Chief, Johns Hopkins Children’s Center and Director, Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University
Kwang Sik Kim, MD, Professor of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Director, Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases
Kathleen Neuzil, MD, MPH, Myron M. Levine, MD, DTPH, Professor in Vaccinology and Director Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health, University of Maryland School of Medicine
Ruth Karron, MD, Professor, International Health, Director, Center for Immunization Research; Director, Johns Hopkins Vaccine Initiative, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University
Aziza Shad, MD, Ellen W.P. Wasserman Chair of Pediatrics, Chief, Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, The Herman & Walter Samuelson Children's Hospital at Sinai, Georgetown University School of Medicine, Professor of Pediatrics & Oncology
Susan Lipton, MD, MPH, Director Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Sinai Hospital of Baltimore and Chair, Committee on Infectious Diseases for the Maryland State Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics
Timothy Doran, MD, Chair, Department of Pediatrics, Greater Baltimore Medical Center;
Susan Dulkerian, MD, Chair, Department of Pediatrics, Mercy Medical Center;
Maria Brown, MD, FAAP, President, Maryland Chapter, American Academy of Pediatrics;
Rebecca Carter, MD, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Chair Committee on Immunizations, Maryland Chapter, American Academy of Pediatrics
Letitia Dzirasa, MD, Commissioner of Health, Baltimore City, and a pediatrician;
Joshua Sharfstein, MD, Professor of the Practice, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, former Baltimore City Health Commissioner and Secretary of the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, and a pediatrician;
Neal Halsey, MD, Professor Emeritus, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Former Director of the Johns Hopkins Institute for Vaccine Safety, and a pediatric infectious diseases specialist;
Dan Salmon, PhD, Director, Johns Hopkins Institute for Vaccine Safety
Contact
Office of Public Affairs
655 West Baltimore Street
Bressler Research Building 14-002
Baltimore, Maryland 21201-1559
Contact Media Relations
(410) 706-5260
Related stories
Tuesday, December 20, 2022
COVID Vaccines Prevented 3 Million Deaths in the U.S., New Analysis Finds
In the two years since the first COVID-19 vaccines were given to patients in the U.S., the vaccines had the cumulative effect of preventing 18 million hospitalizations and 3 million deaths. That is based on a new modeling analysis conducted by a researcher at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) and her colleagues. Results of the analysis were published by the Commonwealth Fund.
Wednesday, February 16, 2022
Study Shows New Drug Combination More Effective Against SARS-CoV-2
Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) and University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine have identified a powerful combination of antivirals to treat COVID-19. The researchers showed that combining the experimental drug brequinar with either of the two drugs already approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for emergency use, remdesivir or molnupiravir, inhibited growth of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in human lung cells and in mice. Their findings suggest that these drugs are more potent when used in combination than individually.
Wednesday, January 26, 2022
Trial Co-led by University of Maryland School of Medicine Scientist Confirms Safety of “Mix-and-Match” COVID-19 Vaccine Booster Dosing
A University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM), Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health (CVD), expert is co-leading an ongoing study that was pivotal in recommending adults and teens receive booster COVID-19 shots of their choosing starting in fall 2021. The preliminary clinical trial results, reported today in The New England Journal of Medicine, found that is safe and effective to receive boosters that are the same or a different one from the person’s primary vaccine(s).
Thursday, December 16, 2021
Novavax COVID-19 Vaccine Found to be Safe and Effective in Phase 3 Trial Conducted by UM School of Medicine Researchers
An investigational COVID-19 vaccine made by Novavax was found to be 90 percent effective at preventing COVID-19 illness, according to results from a Phase 3 clinical trial published today in the New England Journal of Medicine. The University of Maryland School of Medicine’s (UMSOM) Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health served as one of the trial sites, and Karen Kotloff, MD, Professor of Pediatrics at UMSOM, served as Co-Chair for the trial protocol.
Tuesday, December 14, 2021
UM School of Medicine’s Office of Public Affairs and Communications Honored with 2021 PRSA ‘Best In Maryland’ Award
The University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM)'s Office of Public Affairs & Communications received the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) 2021 “Best in Maryland Award,” the PRSA’s highest honor, for its COVID-19 Communications program. The award was given at the PRSA Maryland Gala, held on December 9, 2021.
Wednesday, September 08, 2021
UM School of Medicine Reaching Underserved Communities Through Grass Roots Efforts to Increase COVID-19 Vaccination Rates
In an effort to increase COVID-19 vaccination rates among children and families, and ultimately help bring the pandemic under control, the Department of Family & Community Medicine (DFCM) and the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) are partnering with key community and faith-based groups in Baltimore city to reach the most vulnerable and underserved communities. This partnership will also extend across Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, and West Virginia.
Wednesday, July 07, 2021
UM School of Medicine Researchers Develop Two Rapid Tests for COVID-19 Using Innovative Techniques
Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) have developed two rapid diagnostic tests for COVID-19 that are nearly as accurate as the gold-standard test currently used in laboratories. Unlike the gold-standard test, which extracts RNA and uses it to amplify the DNA of the virus, these new tests can detect the presence of the virus in as little as five minutes using different methods.
Wednesday, June 09, 2021
Global Study of Microbes in 60 Cities Finds Each Has Unique Fingerprint of Viruses and Bacteria
Each city has its own unique microbiome, a “fingerprint” of viruses and bacteria that serves as type of city profile, according to a new study from an international consortium of researchers that included a team from the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM). The international project, which sequenced and analyzed samples collected from public transit systems and hospitals in 60 cities around the world, was published today in the journal Cell.
Tuesday, March 16, 2021
New Study Finds Healthcare Settings Do Not Pose Added Risk Factor for Covid-19 Infection Spread Among U.S. Healthcare Personnel
Healthcare personnel who were infected with COVID-19 faced stronger risk factors outside of the workplace than in their hospital or healthcare settings. That is the finding of a new study published today in the Journal of the American Medical association's JAMA Network Open conducted by University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) researchers and colleagues at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and three other universities.
Thursday, January 21, 2021
UM School of Medicine Hosted Media Availability for Ensuring Trust in COVID-19 Vaccine Event
On January 22, 2021 at 2 p.m., the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) hosted Black faith-based leaders, COVID-19 research volunteers, and “America’s Doctor,” Anthony Fauci, MD. The event provided straight talk about fears, trust issues, and why we need our Black and Brown community to be a part of COVID-19 vaccine research.
Tuesday, January 05, 2021
Dr. Kathleen Neuzil, World-renowned Leader in Vaccine Research, Receives Moderna Vaccine
Kathleen Neuzil, MD, MPH, FIDSA, the Myron M. Levine, MD, DTPH, Professor of Vaccinology and Director of the University of Maryland School of Medicine’s (UMSOM)’s Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health (CVD), received her first injection of the Moderna vaccine for COVID-19 on December 31. Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) played an integral part in the dedicated work that led to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issuing an Emergency Use Authorization for the Moderna vaccine in December.
Tuesday, January 05, 2021
University of Maryland School of Medicine Begins Phase 3 Trial of Novavax COVID-19 Vaccine Candidate
Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) will participate in a Phase 3 clinical trial of an investigational COVID-19 vaccine to protect against SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus causing COVID-19 that continues to impact millions of people around the world. The clinical trial will test the safety and effectiveness of NVX-CoV2373, being developed by U.S. biotechnology company, Novavax, Inc., based in Gaithersburg, MD.
Thursday, November 19, 2020
Promising Results Seen in Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine After Phase 1 Trial by University of Maryland School of Medicine
Just six months after beginning a clinical development program that first enrolled here at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM), Pfizer and BioNTech report interim results showing an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine had no serious safety concerns and has been found to be 95 percent effective in protecting individuals from COVID-19.
Friday, November 13, 2020
UM School of Medicine and School of Pharmacy Researchers Identify Promising New Compounds to Potentially Treat Novel Coronaviruses
Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) and School of Pharmacy (UMSOP) have discovered new drug compounds to potentially treat the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19. The compounds disrupt the functioning of a protein complex inside human cells that the researchers discovered is critical for the replication and survival of coronaviruses. This finding could lead to the development of new broad-spectrum antiviral drugs that target viruses such as influenza, Ebola and coronaviruses, according to a new study published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) journal.
Tuesday, June 16, 2020
UM School of Medicine Researchers Receive Federal Funding to Rapidly Test New Treatments for COVID-19
Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) will be partnering on an agreement funded by the federal government’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to rapidly test hundreds of drugs, approved and marketed for other conditions, to see whether any can be repurposed to prevent or treat COVID-19. The compounds will be tested in studies using state-of-the-art technologies in the laboratory of coronavirus researcher Matthew Frieman, PhD., Associate Professor of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. UMSOM will receive up to $3.6 million over the next year to fund this effort.
Tuesday, June 02, 2020
UM School of Medicine’s Institute of Human Virology Awarded Grants to Strengthen COVID-19 Response in Sub-Saharan Africa
The Center for International Health, Education and Biosecurity (Ciheb) at the University of Maryland School of Medicine’s Institute of Human Virology was awarded $4 million from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to support coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) response activities in Botswana, Nigeria, Malawi, and Mozambique.
Thursday, May 28, 2020
UM School of Medicine Researchers Develop Experimental Rapid COVID-19 Test Using Innovative Nanoparticle Technique
Scientists from the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) developed an experimental diagnostic test for COVID-19 that can visually detect the presence of the virus in 10 minutes. It uses a simple assay containing plasmonic gold nanoparticles to detect a color change when the virus is present. The test does not require the use of any advanced laboratory techniques, such as those commonly used to amplify DNA, for analysis. The authors published their work last week in the American Chemical Society’s nanotechnology journal ACS Nano.
Thursday, May 21, 2020
UM School of Medicine Begins First Innovative Trial of Experimental Stem Cell Therapy to Reduce Deaths in Sickest COVID-19 Patients
Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) have begun testing an experimental stem cell therapy developed by Mesoblast Limited to treat hospitalized COVID-19 patients with moderate to severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) who are on ventilators to help them breathe. The trial, which is being conducted at the University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC) and additional sites across the U.S, will involve a total of 300 patients randomized to receive either the drug remestemcel-L or a placebo in addition to the recommended standard of care to manage severe COVID-19 infections. The first patient in this national trial was treated at UMMC.
Tuesday, May 05, 2020
UM School of Medicine is First in U.S. to Test Unique RNA Vaccine Candidate for COVID-19
In a significant development in the global effort to discover a safe and effective vaccine for COVID-19, researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) became the first in the U.S. to begin testing experimental COVID-19 vaccine candidates developed by Pfizer and BioNTech. The research, funded by Pfizer Inc., will study the safety, efficacy, and dosing of an experimental mRNA -based vaccine.
Thursday, April 23, 2020
UM School of Medicine Researchers Test Remdesivir as Potential Therapy for COVID-19 Patients
Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) are testing the effectiveness of the investigational antiviral drug remdesivir in hospitalized adult patients with SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19). The randomized controlled clinical trial is evaluating the safety and effectiveness of the drug, and it is part of a national study funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Friday, April 10, 2020
University of Maryland School of Medicine Launches New Large Scale COVID-19 Testing Initiative
University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) Dean E. Albert Reece, MD, PhD, MBA, announced today the launch of a large-scale COVID-19 Testing Initiative that will significantly expand testing capability over the coming weeks, enabled by new funding of $2.5 million from the State of Maryland.
Wednesday, April 01, 2020
Important Coronavirus Update from Dean Reece 04-01
I am sure you are aware of Governor Hogan’s Executive Order that requires all residents of Maryland to stay at home, except for essential activities. The Governor continues to emphasize that we are still just at the beginning of this crisis in Maryland. While the State has been taking the lead with early containment efforts, we are now at a critical point. Each of our actions can lessen the expected surge in cases over the next few weeks.
Wednesday, March 25, 2020
Kids & COVID-19 Website Provides Resources for Pediatric Healthcare Providers and Families
The University of Maryland School of Medicine has launched a special COVID-19 website for pediatric healthcare providers and practices, parents, and children. This resource brings together important research, professional guidance for pediatric practices, and practical tips for parents and caregivers.
Wednesday, March 25, 2020
Important Coronavirus Update from Dean Reece
As we continue to move forward in these challenging times, I would like to bring you a message of encouragement and hope. First and foremost, please be assured and confident that we are, and will continue to do, everything we can to ensure the health and well-being of all within our community. As you will see in this briefing, significant steps are being taken by the State of Maryland, the University of Maryland Medical System and the University of Maryland, Baltimore to ensure that everyone is healthy and safe. We must each do whatever is necessary to ensure that our health comes first.
Tuesday, February 25, 2020
Washington Post Visits UM School of Medicine Laboratories, Meets with Scientists About Coronavirus
Result is front-page feature coverage of UMSOM’s leading work in studying the Virus
Wednesday, January 29, 2020
University of Maryland School of Medicine Mobilizes Virus Experts to prepare for Potential Coronavirus Outbreak
As public health officials around the world are monitoring a new coronavirus strain (2019-nCoV) first identified in the Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China, the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) is mobilizing its physicians and scientists in the UMSOM’s Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health (CVD), and in its Department of Microbiology & Immunology, to study the virus and test potential vaccines and other therapies. In addition, the UMSOM is collaborating with the University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC) on rapid response and preparedness planning in the event of a growing outbreak.