1049: Vaccines and Screening: Need-to-Know for State Preparedness

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This is Public Health Review
Morning Edition for Thursday,

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January 8th, 2026.
I'm John Sheehan with news from

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the Association of State and
Territorial Health Officials.

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Today, we continue our
legislative prospectus series

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examining public health policy
trends going into 2026 with

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Meredith Allen, Vice President
for Health Safety at ASTO.

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She'll discuss the critical role
immunizations play in preventing

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the spread of disease and
protecting communities

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nationwide, and how the recent
vote by CDC's Advisory Committee

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on Immunization Practices may
affect providers, patients and

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states, particularly around
hepatitis B guidance.

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States are going to continue to
work with providers to ensure

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that they have the most recent
and updated information and it's

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really important for patients
and parents of patients to have

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conversations with their
providers.

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Meredith will also breakdown why
expanded syphilis screening laws

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are gaining momentum across
States and how early detection,

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especially during pregnancy, can
prevent severe outcomes like

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congenital syphilis.
Meredith.

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Allen, welcome to the show.
Thank you so much for having me.

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So Meredith, what role?
Do immunizations play in in

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preventing the spread of
illness?

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Let me start by saying the
science behind back scenes is

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robust and very well tested.
Vaccines work by training the

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body's immune system to
recognize and fight off viruses

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or bacteria without suffering
the harmful effects of the

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actual disease.
Global immunization efforts have

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saved over 100 million lives
over the past 50 years and

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vaccines are our best defense
against polio, diphtheria,

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measles, whooping cough,
tetanus, hepatitis B, certain

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types of meningitis, and many
more diseases.

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Vaccination is a fundamental
responsibility we all share to

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protect ourselves, our families,
and our communities from these

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serious diseases.
Declines in vaccination rates

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endanger all American families,
including our children, older

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adults, pregnant women, and
those with compromised immune

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systems, even healthy adults.
Increasing access to these life

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saving vaccines make our
communities healthier everyday.

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Yeah, unfortunately this is kind
of an important sticking point

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right now given the Advisory
Committee on Immunization

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Practices recent vote.
Can we can we just sort of

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clarify the potential risks of
softening that guidance and.

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And how?
How are you seeing states?

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Respond.
Thanks for the question.

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It's a really timely, timely
question.

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The discussion and and coverage
of these meetings, especially

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this most recent ACIP meeting,
can generate a lot of provider

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and public confusion.
I think the most important thing

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to remember is that under the
new hepatitis B recommendations

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from ACIP is if they are adopted
by CDC, is that providers can

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continue to recommend the birth
dose, vaccination and insurance

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will still cover it.
States are going to continue to

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work with providers to ensure
that they have the most recent

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and updated information and it's
really important for patients

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and parents of patients to have
conversations with their

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providers.
This is the best way to ensure

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that their questions are
answered and any concerns they

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have are addressed.
Is that message being repeated

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in your experience around the
country?

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Yes, I think, you know, making
sure that we're really looking

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at that patient provider
relationship as the key is

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really important in having those
discussions with your provider

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really does give you that not
only individualized reassurance

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but also for your community as
well.

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And in the last year, at least
six states have enacted

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legislation requiring expanded
screenings for for syphilis.

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Looking ahead.
Why?

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Is it?
Important.

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Sure, syphilis often presents
with very few signs or symptoms,

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so people often do not know that
they're infected.

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Screening patients is important
to identify cases, especially in

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pregnant women.
Increasing these screening

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requirements, such as in this
new legislation, allows for the

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timely treatment of syphilis in
pregnancy, which can prevent

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cases of congenital syphilis in
babies.

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Congenital syphilis causes major
health impacts in babies, and

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how a baby's health is impacted
really does depend on how long

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the mother was infected with
syphilis and if or when they

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were treated.
Many providers have been unaware

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of syphilis as this growing
public health issue, and this

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new legislation really does
provide an opportunity to

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educate providers and expand the
types of providers who are

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mandated or encouraged to test
pregnant women.

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Yeah.
And for something, as you say,

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that doesn't present symptoms or
at least presents subtle

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symptoms, it seems like a really
positive step to to increase and

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to support those screenings.
Are there additional measures

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like that that you do you'd like
to see health departments adopt

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in the?
Future.

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Sure.
It's really important, you know,

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going back to our earlier
discussion that we maintain

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immunization rates around the
country.

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As we're seeing with measles
now, pockets of unimmunized

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people often lead to an increase
in disease and additional

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disease spread.
Predictable and sustainable

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funding for public health is key
in sustaining the state's state

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health department's abilities to
identify and contain infectious

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diseases.
Approximately 80% of CDC funding

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does go out to States and
territories, so continued

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funding for major programs such
as ELC and FEP are really

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important at the state level.
Additionally, you'll see some

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some references to data systems
and being able to ensure that

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states have accurate and timely
data to be able to really know

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what's going on within their own
state and communities.

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And for states to be able to
support that timely outbreak

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response and complete disease in
case investigation.

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It's really important to have
modernized data systems and data

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sharing agreements in place.
And so this, this is another

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thing that we're looking at for
for states to be able to utilize

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full integration of these data
systems allows states to really

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utilize new technologies as well
and things that we're seeing

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with wastewater surveillance and
being able to detect disease

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that way as well.
Yeah.

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The combination of supporting
that preventative care and

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preventative policy and being
able to measure what you're what

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you're dealing with.
Absolutely.

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Meredith Allen, thanks so much.
Thank you for having me today,

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it was great talking with you.
Meredith Allen is vice president

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for health security at ASTO.
Join Manisha.

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Juthani, MD, Commissioner,
Connecticut Department of Public

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Health and ASTO President, and
John Auerbach, MBA, senior vice

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president for Public Health,
ICF, for a webinar that examines

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how clear, purposeful leadership
strengthens both internal and

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external trust.
Through insights and reflection,

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we will examine how leaders
embody steadiness amid

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uncertainty, set a sustainable
pace, and provide calm direction

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that builds trust and drives
performance.

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This conversation aims to
inspire participants to

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recognize their composure and
capacity not as a personal

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indulgence, but as a fundamental
leadership function that shapes

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the overall tone, focus and
confidence of their

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organizations.
This has been Public Health

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review Morning Edition.
I'm John Sheehan for the

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Association of State and
Territorial Health Officials.