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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 16/06/2026

What if AI could have your difficult vaccine conversations for you? The moment you felt disagreement brewing, you could pass it off to the AI agent. Would you take that offer? I would not. Read my essay on why the hardest vaccine conversations should stay human. #communityimmunity #vaccines

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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 22/05/2026

Public health cannot ask for trust before it has earned it. NYC health commissioner Dr. Alister Martin says we must earn it by solving the problems people have right now. Read more from my interview on the next era of vaccine governance @Community Immunity. 🔗 👇

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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 06/05/2026

The anti-vaccine movement doesn’t sell alternative facts. It sells belonging. The tactics from 1896 and today are the same. What changed is the scale and erosion of communities that used to buffer it. It doesn’t matter how good our evidence is. People don’t adopt facts. They accept invitations

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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 27/04/2026

When I was a child, I was hospitalized with rotavirus. There was no vaccine then. There is one now. Social media is blaming this rotavirus season on vaccine hesitancy. The truth is more complicated. This is a structural problem. Missing that means investing in the wrong solutions. 🔗 Link below👇

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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 18/03/2026

This week’s AAP v. Kennedy ruling is worth celebrating. A federal judge blocked the Kennedy vaccine schedule and sent a clear message: you cannot bypass scientific and legal process and expect it to stand.🧵

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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 12/03/2026

New in Community Immunity: The Roundup. Five things: new series on vaccine governance, school vaccine requirements, vaccine dismissal policies, ACIP prebunk, and the myth that won't die. Link below 👇 #vaccines #community #publichealth

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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 26/02/2026

New essay out in Community Immunity. It begins with a simple thought experiment: what if future leaders attempt to restore vaccine policy structures overnight? Would that rebuild trust — or deepen polarization? The way things were isn’t the way things can be anymore. #PublicHealth #Vaccines

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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 16/02/2026

When it comes to vaccines, what parents want has not changed. They want clear recommendations and honest explanations. They want reassurance that the advice they receive is grounded in their child’s best interest. And they want a trusted expert to help them navigate the noise.

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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 06/02/2026

Who do parents trust? Their child’s pediatrician. More than any federal agency, political figure, or influencer. Policy should strengthen that trusted relationship, not undermine it.

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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 06/02/2026

New KFF data show trust in the CDC as a source of reliable vaccine information is now at a historic low following a recent overhaul to childhood vaccine recommendations. That matters because federal health leaders have explicitly justified their policy changes as necessary to restore public trust.🧵

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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 17/01/2026

Preventing more diseases is a success, not a failure. This shouldn’t be controversial. open.substack.com/pub/communit... #Vaccines ##PreventDisease

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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 29/12/2025

Writing publicly and being in the spotlight isn’t my default setting. 📰 This week’s Community Immunity is a reflection on why I write publicly about vaccines, evidence, and trust, and what it takes to sustain this work.

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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 16/12/2025

“Shared decision-making” is being invoked more and more in federal vaccine guidance. That doesn’t mean everyone is using it the same way. Today’s Community Immunity looks at what shared decision-making is—and what it isn’t—especially when it comes to vaccine policy.

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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 06/12/2025

The CDC’s ACIP vaccine meeting this week was flooded with rhetoric posing as science. Confidence ≠ evidence. As I told WaPo: misinformation wrapped in scientific authority is the most dangerous kind. Our kids deserve better.

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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 06/12/2025

ACIP’s two-day meeting was a chaotic circus of misinformation, distortion, and people speaking with confidence far beyond their expertise. One thought kept coming back to me: our kids deserve better. Do not come between a pediatrician and our patients’ health. We are fiercely devoted to them.

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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 05/09/2025

New data from a The Washington Post–KFF parent survey: 81% of U.S. parents support public schools requiring measles and polio vaccines—including 82% of Florida parents and 73% of MAGA Republicans! There is ipartisan support for vaccines! #VaccinesWork #HealthyKids thehill.com/policy/healt...

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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 04/09/2025

The FDA is questioning the long-standing, evidence-based practice of giving seasonal vaccines—like flu and COVID shots—at the same visit. It risks undermining decades of science showing that administering multiple vaccines together is safe and effective. www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/...

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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 25/08/2025

📰 New in Community Immunity: Vaccine debates look partisan, but they’re really about values. To rebuild trust, we need to move past red vs. blue labels and engage people at the level of what they truly care about. open.substack.com/pub/communit...

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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 19/08/2025

📢 The American Academy of Pediatrics has released its 2025 Childhood & Adolescent Immunization Schedule — evidence-based recommendations to keep kids healthy this fall and beyond. #Vaccines #AAP #RSV #FluShot #COVID19 #ChildHealth www.aap.org/en/news-room...

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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 11/08/2025

📰 New in Community Immunity: Most parents still vaccinate their kids. Yes, exemptions are up and rates have ticked down, but refusal is rare. Exaggerating hesitancy fuels the false idea that anti-vaccine agendas reflect public opinion—they don’t.

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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 03/08/2025

Thimerosal myths, ACIP shake‑ups, and the future of U.S. vaccines—I chatted with Dr. Marc Siegel on SiriusXM Doctor Radio. 🎧 Catch the July 29 episode here: sxm.app.link/DoctorRadio #VaccinePolicy #PublicHealth #HealthCommunication

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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 26/06/2025

My letter to parents—on behalf of pediatricians everywhere...💌 From the moment your child was born, I’ve seen the joy and responsibility in your eyes. I’ve been there with you navigating car seats, feeding questions – big medical decisions. One choice now feels heavier: vaccines... 🧵

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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 20/06/2025

📰 In my newsletter this week: How the politicization of vaccine policy is threatening public health and why understanding the ACIP's origins matter more than ever. open.substack.com/pub/communit...

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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 06/06/2025

Listen to the full episode here 👉 podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a...

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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 06/05/2025

New in Community Immunity: Most Americans are still in the malleable middle on vaccines—confused, vulnerable to misinformation, but open. Plus: placebo politics, brutal flu season, measles slowing, and rising pertussis. Read: communityimmunity.substack.com/p/the-mallea...

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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 14/04/2025

New in my Community Immunity newsletter this week: Support for childhood vaccines hasn’t vanished—but it’s more fragile than ever. I break down new data, what the headlines miss, and what we can do now. Plus: RFK Jr. finally endorsed the measles vaccine… while completely undermining it.

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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 10/04/2025

communityimmunity.substack.com/i/160618455/...

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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 07/04/2025

This week in Community Immunity: Public health isn’t a faucet you can just turn on and off. Plus, mass HHS layoffs, an NIH lawsuit, and yet another preventable measles death. Read and subscribe here: open.substack.com/pub/communit...

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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 02/04/2025

Personal choice isn’t the opposite of recommendation 👇 communityimmunity.substack.com/i/160200040/...

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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 01/04/2025

Excited to co-chair the APA Immunization SIG at #PAS2025 in Honolulu! 🗓 Sat, April 26 | 7–8:30 AM HST 📍 Room 302, Hawai‘i Convention Center We’ll share real-world strategies to advance #VaccineEquity and how to move forward with this work. See more here: 2025.pas-meeting.org/index.asp?pr...

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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 01/04/2025

“Measles is only a plane flight away.” That’s what I said last week on CNN. Now, Colorado has a confirmed case from international travel. This is how outbreaks start. We’ve seen it before, and we can stop it. Protect yourself and Colorado communities by vaccinating! www.9news.com/article/news...

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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 31/03/2025

Last week, public health was dismantled: funding cuts, a discredited vaccine cynic leading autism-vaccine research, experts forced out, and global vaccine funds axed. So what do we do now?👇

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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 23/03/2025

Last week, I joined a SciLine media briefing on measles with fellow public health experts—covered symptoms, prevention, and the outbreak response hosted by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Watch the full convo here: www.sciline.org/public-healt...

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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 23/03/2025

This week in my Community Immunity Substack newsletter, I dive into how researchers are using “Ctrl+F” for survival and debunk the myth that MMR vaccines cause autism. Check it out here: open.substack.com/pub/communit...

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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 13/03/2025

Measles surges, vaccination rates plummet, and the NIH announces: "It is the policy of NIH not to prioritize research on why people are hesitant to be vaccinated or how to improve vaccine confidence." Instead, we will research a long-debunked vaccine myth. Is this reality, or a bad fever dream?

https://communityimmunity.substack.com/p/the-cost-of-nihs-vaccine-research

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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 12/03/2025

The NIH, the crown jewel of medical research institutions, is cutting off funding for research to improve acceptance of the greatest public health achievements of all time—which it helped pioneer! The cost will be measured in lives. open.substack.com/pub/communit... #vaccines

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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 10/03/2025

Check out my Community Immunity newsletter where I go deeper—a long-form space to work through ideas on vaccines, policy, and public health. Subscribe here 👉 bit.ly/41zjFeT #Vaccines #PublicHealth #ScienceCommunication #CommunityImmunity

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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 08/03/2025

communityimmunity.substack.com/p/the-cdc-re...

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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 27/02/2025

Tragic Measles Death in a Child & a Concerning FDA Cancellation open.substack.com/pub/communit...

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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 05/02/2025

Effective communication is key to rebuilding trust in vaccines—now more than ever! What gives me hope in these times? The dedicated public health professionals, healthcare workers, and trusted messengers who engage, listen, and build trust—one vaccine conversation at a time. 💪💉💬 #vaccines

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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 28/01/2025

Yes! And this is out today from KFF. While the growing partisan divide is concerning, most people across the political spectrum still support childhood vaccines and school vaccine requirements! It is potentially dangerous to spin childhood vaccines as a partisan issue.

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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 20/01/2025

Childhood vaccines are in the media spotlight—a timely and important focus. As you see eye-catching headlines, remember: while it’s crucial to address declining vaccination rates and vaccine hesitancy, we must also emphasize that most parents still vaccinate their children—this remains the norm.

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