What Pharmacists Should Know
- Consistent, unified messaging across health care professionals is critical to counter misinformation and reinforce public confidence in vaccines.
- Pharmacists should rely on evidence-based guidance from professional organizations and continue supporting routine childhood immunizations, including the 2-dose HPV series.
- Routine childhood vaccines have prevented millions of illnesses and deaths, highlighting the pharmacist’s role in sustaining high vaccination coverage for public health.
In an interview with Pharmacy Times®, Jeffery A. Goad, PharmD, MPH, professor of pharmacy practice at Chapman University School of Pharmacy, emphasized the critical role of consistent messaging from health care professionals in countering misinformation surrounding childhood vaccines. Goad explained that when pediatricians, family physicians, pharmacists, and public health leaders deliver aligned, evidence-based messages, trust is reinforced among families. Conversely, conflicting messages create uncertainty, which allows misinformation to thrive and undermines public confidence in vaccination.
He highlighted a recent letter to the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) from the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, co-signed by more than 70 medical and public health organizations, urging that childhood immunization recommendations remain grounded in scientific consensus and transparent review. Goad noted that unilateral policy changes risk confusing families and could potentially harm children, making unified communication across health care disciplines essential.
“When messages conflict, uncertainty grows, and uncertainty is where misinformation thrives.” - Jeffery A. Goad, PharmD, MPH
Goad also discussed opportunities for pharmacists to take a more proactive role in individualized vaccine counseling. He encouraged pharmacists to anchor their practice in evidence-based guidance from professional organizations such as the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Family Physicians, which continue to support the routine childhood immunization schedule. This includes maintaining support for the 2-dose HPV vaccine series for optimal cancer prevention, despite recent federal policy changes. In community pharmacy settings, pharmacists can reassure families that vaccines remain covered, evidence-based, and strongly supported by clinical experts, helping prevent missed doses and incomplete series.
Finally, Goad underscored the immense public health impact of routine childhood immunizations. Citing CDC data, he noted that vaccines administered to children born between 1994 and 2023 prevented approximately 508 million illnesses, 32 million hospitalizations, and more than 1.1 million deaths. These gains translate into an estimated $540 billion in direct medical cost savings and $2.7 trillion in societal economic benefits, reinforcing vaccination as one of the most powerful public health interventions available.
