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Representative Clemons warns of falling childhood vaccination coverage, urges action
Summary
Representative Clemons told the Population Health Subcommittee that childhood vaccination rates have dropped below herd‑immunity thresholds in many places, citing Johns Hopkins figures and recent measles outbreaks and urging lawmakers to strengthen public trust in vaccines.
Representative Clemons used his remarks during the Population Health Subcommittee meeting to warn that childhood immunization coverage has declined in many parts of the country and to urge colleagues to consider how committee language and actions affect public trust.
"It matters what we say and it matters what we do, because the public health, the population's health is at stake by the decisions we make in this room," Clemons said.
Clemons cited data attributed to Johns Hopkins and the International Vaccine Access Center, saying MMR coverage nationally has fallen to about 92.1–92.5 percent — below the 95 percent level commonly cited to prevent measles transmission. He said Tennessee's coverage during the referenced school year was 94.4 percent and that exemptions rose to 3.8 percent in the state. Clemons added that 2,540 measles cases had been reported in the United States, with 2,144 confirmed in 2025 alone, and that 69 percent of cases were among children and teens and 93 percent among people who were unvaccinated or whose vaccination status was unknown.
Clemons also highlighted other related figures, saying 8 whooping cough cases were reported in Tennessee and that there have been 49 measles outbreaks in 2025 compared with 16 the previous year. He quoted Dr. William Moss of the International Vaccine Access Center at Johns Hopkins in calling for efforts to "strengthen public trust in the safety and effectiveness of vaccines."
