Wisconsin Expert Warns of Risks as Politics Threaten Vaccine Guidelines

Donald Trump once hailed COVID-19 vaccines as a “monumental national achievement” and a “miracle of modern medicine.” But now, the president appears to cast doubt on the same vaccines he once championed. And he’s demanding companies like Pfizer release more data—despite having no medical or scientific background himself.

Outside of clean drinking water, no public health intervention has saved more lives than vaccines.
They are safe, effective, and one of our best tools to protect families as we head into cold and flu season.

Ryan Bender, director of clinical services for Forward Pharmacy Wisconsin and vice chair of the Dane County Immunization Coalition

The comments come as public health experts warn of increasing vaccine skepticism which is being fueled in part by political changes to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). The committee sets vaccine schedules but was recently reshaped by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. He instead replaced longtime members with figures criticized by scientists for promoting anti-vaccine views.

Ryan Bender is the director of clinical services for Forward Pharmacy Wisconsin and vice chair of the Dane County Immunization Coalition Board. He joined Maggie Daun, host of The Maggie Daun Show, to discuss how families are trying to navigate the uncertainty. He explains that while the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approves a vaccine, ACIP makes recommendations on who should receive it. And without ACIP approval, pharmacists cannot administer shots—even if physicians may prescribe them off-label.

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Listen to the entire discussion here:

“The authority to provide a vaccine outside a clinic depends on it appearing on the CDC schedule,” Bender says. “Even if I have doses in my pharmacy, I can’t administer them until ACIP acts.”

ACIP is expected to meet September 18–19, though Sen. Bill Cassidy has called for the meeting to be delayed. In the meantime, parents face conflicting advice from federal agencies and professional organizations like the American Academy of Pediatrics, which continue to recommend immunizations for children.

The stakes are high here, too.  

Wisconsin officials are reporting a measles outbreak in Oconto County, with more than two dozen confirmed cases. 

“Measles is one of the most contagious diseases we know,” Bender explains. “Minimizing it opens us up to diseases that can be harmful—and fatal.”

Bender is urging families to focus on established best practices. 

“Every child should get a flu shot, and parents should follow the immunization schedule,” Bender says. 

He also stresses mRNA technology, often the target of misinformation, is not new and has been studied for decades in fields ranging from infectious diseases to cancer research.

“Outside of clean drinking water, no public health intervention has saved more lives than vaccines,” Bender says. “They are safe, effective, and one of our best tools to protect families as we head into cold and flu season.”