Vaccines Save Lives

I know if you have been reading the headlines you are likely increasingly worried a public health concern that is affecting communities across Tennessee and the nation: the rise of vaccine-preventable diseases.

Health officials across the country are reporting alarming trends. Measles cases are surging nationwide, with numbers reaching levels not seen in decades after the disease was once declared eliminated in the United States. In Tennessee, public health officials have confirmed measles cases and are urging residents to check their vaccination status. Vaccination remains the most effective way to stop the spread and protect our communities.

At the same time, doctors in Nashville and across the state are raising the alarm about whooping cough (pertussis). Cases are increasing, and tragically, infant deaths have been reported. Pediatricians are urging parents, caregivers, and pregnant women to make sure they are up to date on whooping cough vaccines, because infants are especially vulnerable and often too young to be fully vaccinated themselves.

These are not abstract numbers or cases — they represent real children, real families, and real heartbreak. Vaccines are one of the greatest public health successes in history, saving millions of lives and preventing suffering that used to be common just a generation ago.

This is also personal for me. As a mother of three, I make sure all of my kids are up to date on their shots — especially during cold and flu season — because nothing is worse than a house full of sick kids during the holidays.Vaccinating our children is one of the simplest, most loving ways we can protect them and the people around them.

We need leaders who believe in science and stand with pediatricians and public health officers who are working every day to keep us healthy and alive. These professionals deserve support, not political interference, when they are trying to prevent outbreaks and protect our most vulnerable neighbors.

Here’s how you can help:

• Get your flu shot and make sure your family’s vaccinations are up to date.

• Write to your local newspaper or share your voice in your community, encouraging others to vaccinate and to trust medical professionals and science.

• Support science-based candidates and leaders who will fight to keep Tennessee families healthy and safe.

Public health is about taking care of one another. When we protect kids, seniors, and vulnerable families, we make Tennessee stronger.

Thank you for standing with me — and with the doctors, nurses, and public health workers who are doing everything they can to keep our communities healthy.