Health Officer Update: Recommended childhood vaccines
- 12 hours ago
- 4 min read
Dr. Herbie Duber is the health officer for Kitsap Public Health District. In addition to his work in public health, Dr. Duber serves as a professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of Washington and is an attending physician at UW Medical Center and Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.
At the end of the day, I believe we all want the same things for our children. We want them to grow and learn; to enjoy being kids; and more than anything, to live healthy and happy lives.
With that in mind, it was disheartening that the White House chose to issue an executive order this week that will cause unnecessary uncertainty around routine childhood vaccination.
I firmly believe that we need to continuously evaluate accepted health guidance, be open and honest about what we know and don't know, and be ready to update recommendations based on the best available data and evidence.
This executive order, however, is not based on any new or emerging science. In fact, it revives old theories that have been examined and disproven.
So, let's be clear about what hasn't changed when it comes to childhood immunization:
Recommended childhood vaccines are safe and save lives.
Each of the vaccines recommended for children in the United States was approved after intense review and testing. Even after a vaccine is approved for use, it continues to be monitored for safety through many independent surveillance systems, including the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS). Decades of data, from millions of children, show that routine childhood vaccines are safe and that serious side effects are extremely rare.
Recommended childhood vaccines help protect kids against 16 diseases that can be serious, and in some cases fatal. Many of these diseases, like measles and mumps, used to be widespread in the U.S. before large-scale vaccination programs began. Serious childhood illnesses and deaths from these diseases were tragically common.
Most parents and doctors today have never seen a case of measles or polio, and that is not an accident. It is the direct result of decades of successful and safe vaccination. However, disease outbreaks will become more common if vaccination rates drop, as we have already seen with a recent surge in measles cases nationwide.
The CDC estimates that routine vaccination prevented more than 1.1 million child deaths in the United States between 1994 and 2023. That’s about 40,000 deaths prevented every year— kids who grew up, went to school, and got to be kids, because they were protected.
Childhood vaccine recommendations haven’t changed.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) reviews the science, safety data, and disease trends in the United States every year and publishes an evidence-based schedule of recommended vaccines for kids. For 2026, the AAP continues to recommend a proven set of childhood vaccines, including the combined measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine, and immunizations against RSV, hepatitis A and B, rotavirus, influenza, and meningococcal disease.
These recommendations didn't change because the science didn't change. I encourage you to reach out to your pediatrician if you have questions about vaccines or which ones are right for your kids. They know your child, and they're the best resource for sorting through headlines and figuring out what matters for your family.
Vaccine requirements for school and childcare in Washington haven’t changed.
States set their own rules for which vaccines children need to attend school or childcare. You can check the Washington State Department of Health website for the current list of required vaccines for your child's age and grade.
Viruses can spread quickly in classrooms, hallways, and childcare settings. These requirements exist to keep all kids safe and healthy, including kids who can't be vaccinated themselves because they're too young or medically vulnerable, and who depend on the immunity of the kids around them.
Recommended vaccines remain free for children in Washington.
In Washington, recommended vaccinations are free for kids ages 18 and younger. Health insurance is not required. Contact your healthcare provider or a clinic to make a vaccination appointment. If you need help checking your immunization records or finding a clinic, you can reach our immunization team at 360-728-2007 or immunizations@kitsappublichealth.org.
As parents, we make judgment calls every day about how to keep kids healthy, from the doctors they visit, to the food they eat, the screen time they get, and the activities they sign up for.
Keeping kids up to date on their immunizations is one call we can feel sure about.
Free children's vaccine clinic
Get your kids ready for school and up to date on their vaccines at our free childhood vaccine clinic on Aug. 19:
Learn more and keep in touch
Email pio@kitsappublichealth.org to get in touch. You can read past Health Officer Updates on our blog and subscribe to public health news by email or text.
Join Dr. Duber for a community conversation
You can also join Dr. Duber at the Port Orchard library for an open discussion about the health of our neighborhoods on Sept. 29 at 6 p.m. Learn more below or visit KitsapPublicHealth.org/events.
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