Call for action against rising antivaccine activism

In a recent opinion article published in PLOS Global Public Health, pediatrician-scientist Prof. Peter Hotez of Baylor College of Medicine highlights urgent measures needed to combat the growing momentum of anti-vaccine activism in the United States over the next five years. Hotez emphasizes that anti-vaccine sentiment, which gained significant traction during the COVID-19 pandemic, has evolved into a politically charged movement. Framed by calls for “health freedom,” this movement became a hallmark of partisan activism. As COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths decline, Hotez notes that opposition to vaccines has not diminished but rather shifted focus—toward routine childhood immunizations. This shift has led to increased vaccine hesitancy among parents, especially along political lines, contributing to the re-emergence of preventable illnesses such as measles, whooping cough, and even polio, which was recently detected through wastewater sampling. Hotez warns that, without swift and coordinated action, isolated outbreaks of childhood diseases could escalate into regular epidemics. To counter...