[Source: Reuters]

Dr. Ali Sherif normally gives about 50 doses of the measles vaccine to children each month at his clinic in Hobbs, New Mexico, near the Texas state line.

The number of shots at his clinic has surged about 25%, however, in recent weeks as local parents seek immunizations to protect their toddlers and school-age children from a growing measles outbreak that has infected more than 600 people and led to three deaths.

Like thousands of other doctors across the country, Sherif relies on a little-known federal program to ensure he has those shots on hand for families at no cost to them.

The Vaccines for Children program is funded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and administered by state public health officials. With an annual budget of roughly $5 billion, the vaccines program is responsible for about half the jabs administered to U.S. children every year.

The initiative funds vaccine purchases from drug manufacturers including Merck and GlaxoSmithKline at a discount, while state health departments implement the program and enroll medical providers. A dose of MMR vaccine costs about $26 under the program compared to $95 in the private sector, according to a CDC price list.

But ongoing cuts in federal health funding and personnel could jeopardize the effectiveness of this longstanding program that’s become a key cog in America’s disease-fighting machinery, according to disease experts and former CDC officials.

The Trump administration recently fired about 10,000 employees at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, including significant reductions at CDC that are part of a massive downsizing of the federal workforce. HHS has said another 10,000 left voluntarily.

The CDC employees who staff the children’s vaccine program were largely untouched, three sources familiar with the situation said. However, about 20 others were fired who comprised a unit that helped promote the program in communities at high risk of infectious disease, including during the current outbreak, these sources said. These employees helped bolster the confidence in the safety and effectiveness of vaccines, they said.

At the same time, HHS canceled about $11 billion in COVID-related grants to state and local health departments that were used for a wide variety of vaccine-related clinics and outreach activities, including for measles. A federal judge has temporarily blocked the cuts in some states.

Dr. David Sugerman, a senior scientist leading the CDC’s measles response, highlighted COVID-19 funding cuts before a federal advisory panel last week. “We are scraping to find the resources and personnel needed to provide support to Texas, and other jurisdictions,” he said.

U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has overseen these significant reductions in force and budget after casting doubt on vaccine safety for years. During the current measles outbreak, he has promoted unproven treatments while giving a tepid endorsement of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine.

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