Why Are Vaccines So Important?

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., is leading an effort to repeal laws that require children to be vaccinated.

Kennedy opposes vaccine mandates mainly because he considers them a violation of individual liberty and informed consent. He argues that regulatory agencies and manufacturers do not adequately disclose risks, and that people need more data to make “informed choice” on vaccination.

Kennedy additionally argues the existing vaccine safety framework has “shortcomings,” and he has suggested vaccines may contribute to rising chronic disease, despite overwhelming evidence against this view.

He has also promoted ideas, largely discredited ideas, that vaccines cause autism and suggested that “natural immunity” from infection can be healthier long‑term.

Large epidemiologic studies have found no link between vaccines and autism, directly contradicting one of his central arguments.

Why are vaccines so important?

• Vaccines teach your immune system to recognize bacteria or viruses and make antibodies against them without causing the full-blown disease.

• When many people in a population are vaccinated, germs have fewer chances to spread, which helps protect those who cannot be vaccinated, such as very young infants or people with weakened immune systems.

• This community or “herd” immunity has helped drive diseases like smallpox out of circulation and make others, such as polio and tetanus, extremely rare in countries with high vaccine coverage.

• Global vaccination efforts are estimated to prevent about 4 to 5 million deaths every year, showing how critical vaccines are for reducing child mortality and increasing life expectancy.

• By preventing illness, vaccines reduce hospitalizations, medical costs, and missed work or school, which supports economic productivity and family stability.

• Childhood vaccination has been linked with better long‑term health, improved development and schooling, and stronger, more resilient communities

Source: National Library of Medicine, Gerontological Society of America (GSA), American Academy of Pediatrics

–Bill Lucey

WPLucey@gmail.com

February 13, 2026