Expert Briefing on Vaccines, Measles | March 19, 2025

Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health experts Anna Durbin and William Moss discuss the role vaccines play in public health, the diseases that vaccines have virtually wiped out in the U.S., vaccines and safety concerns, the current measles outbreak in the U.S., and ongoing vaccine research. Vaccines play a critical role in preventing illness and death from many infectious diseases, including measles and polio. They can also prevent common causes of pneumonia and diarrhea, liver and cervical cancer, and more. A 2024 study published in The Lancet and led by the World Health Organization estimates that vaccines have saved 154 million lives worldwide over the past 50 years. Anna Durbin, MD, is a professor in the Department of International Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She studies experimental vaccines for SARS-CoV-2, dengue, West Nile virus, Zika, malaria, and more in human clinical trials and in controlled human infection studies. William Moss, MD, is a professor in the departments of Epidemiology; International Health; and Molecular Microbiology and Immunology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and executive director at the Bloomberg School’s International Vaccine Access Center. 00:00 Introduction 1:21 Update on measles outbreak 6:44 Diseases prevented by vaccines 10:16 Vaccine hesitancy 11:30 Checking immune status 14:35 Forecasting outbreaks 16:21 Alternative therapies 18:00 Losing elimination status 20:11 Communicating about vaccines effectively 23:57 mRNA vaccine research 25:40 Vaccine access 27:12 HHS policy on vaccines 29:25 Tuberculosis Anna Durbin: https://publichealth.jhu.edu/faculty/... William Moss: https://publichealth.jhu.edu/faculty/... International Vaccine Access Center: https://publichealth.jhu.edu/ivac Center for Immunization Research: https://centerforimmunizationresearch... Measles Outbreaks in the U.S. Highlight the Importance of Vaccination: https://publichealth.jhu.edu/2025/wha... The Science of Vaccine Safety in the U.S.: https://publichealth.jhu.edu/2025/how... Vaccines 101: The Basics of Vaccines and Vaccination: https://publichealth.jhu.edu/2025/the... https://publichealth.jhu.edu   / johnshopkinssph     / johnshopkinssph     / johnshopkinssph