During my career as a pharmacist, I had the honor of serving as a member, and former chairperson, of the Iowa Board of Health. During my tenure on the board, including under both Democratic and Republican governors, we always prioritized protecting the health of Iowans and relied on established science to create our health policy recommendations.
Historically, that approach guided federal public health policy, too, especially when it came to medically settled matters like vaccine safety, childhood immunization schedules, and disease prevention. That shared belief has been one of the areas of common ground between Americans from all political parties and has made our country a safer place to live and build a family.
This past December, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) voted to recommend changing the long-standing practice of a universal Hepatitis B vaccine at birth. This recommendation was made shortly after the same committee voted to limit access to the combined MMR and chickenpox vaccine for children. These changes were not made because of new science or widespread safety concerns, and have created confusion for parents and families.
The confusion for families doesn’t stop there. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) under Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has announced an unprecedented overhaul of the childhood immunization schedule, reducing the number of diseases it recommends children be immunized against. This action will be without the science-backed process that has led the United States’ schedule for decades, and will make it harder for families to get the information they need and receive the vaccines that have protected our children for generations.
We are already seeing the consequences of vaccination rates slipping in recent years. In 2024, the CDC reported just 285 cases of the highly contagious measles across the country. As of December 2025, the CDC reported almost seven times as many measles cases, including infections right here in Iowa. Measles is a highly contagious disease associated with serious complications that impact children and other vulnerable populations the hardest.
Protecting public health is a responsibility our elected leaders, regardless of political affiliation, must take seriously. I have long believed that Iowa’s congressional delegation understood that commitment. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, who previously led the Iowa Department of Public Health, along with Reps. Zach Nunn and Ashley Hinson, are uniquely positioned to reassure Iowans that vaccines are safe. They have the opportunity to support health care professionals like myself to ensure our patients are getting science-backed information about the safety and efficacy of vaccines.
As a pharmacist, I follow the science to guide the care provided for patients every day. I know that vaccines are safe, effective, and essential to protecting our communities from preventable diseases. Many vaccines have been around for decades providing longstanding resistance and very low adverse reactions. Iowans deserve elected leaders who are also willing to follow the science and say the same.
Michael Wolnerman is a licensed pharmacist and former chairperson of the Iowa State Board of Health. Michael was also a member of the Iowa e-Health Committee andDELTA Rx Advisory Board for the Drake University College of Pharmacy and HealthSciences.
He was recognized for his involvement and business achievements in the first class of the Business Record’s “Forty Under Forty,” and he continues to pursue new areas of change and innovation in the community and pharmacy practice.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa’s leaders must stand up for truth about vaccine safety | Opinion
Reporting by Michael Wolnerman, Guest columnist / Des Moines Register
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