National Institutes of Health Limits Grants for Vaccine Hesitancy Studies, Raising Questions About Future of Research

According to new reporting from The Washington Post and Science, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is terminating or limiting research grants awarded to projects focused on investigating why people may be hesitant to be vaccinated and strategies to increase vaccine uptake. The new actions, reportedly announced in an email sent to NIH officials, raise questions about the future of research into vaccine hesitancy in the United States at a time when vaccine uptake is dwindling across the country and world.^1,2

NIH is one of the largest funders of biomedial research across the world. | Image Credit: © Tada Images - stock.adobe.com

The email received by NIH officials on March 10 indicated a “list of awards that need to be terminated, today,” according to The Washington Post. “It has been determined they do not align with NIH funding priorities related to vaccine hesitancy and/or uptake,” the email reportedly continued. It is unclear to what extent, if any, the new Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., was involved in the decision to cancel the grants; according to The Washington Post, the email did not specify from where or whom the order originated.¹

More than 40 grants are impacted by the order, reporting indicates. According to Science, these include awards involving vaccines for COVID-19, chickenpox, mpox, and human papillomavirus (HPV). Furthermore, grants that sought to promote vaccine uptake among racial minority groups or better understand vaccine reluctance among parents for their children were among those reportedly impacted. Cancellations in these areas could be especially impactful, as minority communities are disproportionately impacted by vaccine-preventable illnesses and report higher rates of vaccine hesitancy.^2,3

NIH is the largest public funder of biomedical research across the globe. NIH’s website says they invest their nearly $48 billion budget “in medical research seeking to enhance life and to reduce illness and disability.” Terminations or restrictions in grants surrounding vaccine hesitancy studies could serve as a crushing blow to initiatives aimed to better understand the phenomenon and may cause a chilling effect that impacts research into related topics.⁴

Vaccine hesitancy has contributed to decreased vaccination coverage among individuals across the country and world for many diseases that are preventable with proper coverage. Successful vaccination programs in low-income areas of the world that are at higher risk of poor outcomes to diseases preventable by vaccines can be derailed by widespread lack of confidence in vaccines, heightening the risk of disease spread or epidemics. In the absence of NIH-funded research, a knowledge gap may form regarding vaccine hesitancy, stalling efforts to prevent the spread of infectious diseases.⁵

Lack of vaccination coverage among children because of parental vaccine hesitancy is especially pertinent. Last year, the CDC released data indicating major drops in vaccination coverage among US kindergarteners for all reported vaccines from the prior year. Most concerningly, there was a major drop in children documenting full completion of the 2-dose measles, mumps, and rubella (MR) vaccine, coinciding with an uptick in kindergarteners being granted exemptions from receiving 1 or more vaccines. Globally, data released last year from UNICEF and the World Health Organization indicate that vaccine coverage has not yet returned to pre-pandemic levels, with 2.7 million additional children un- or under-vaccinated compared to 2019 levels.^6,7

Rising rates of vaccine hesitancy, combined with reported lapses in funding for research grants studying the issue, could be detrimental for vaccination programs. It is an especially fraught time for suspending research into vaccine hesitancy, as a measles outbreak currently sweeps in Texas in New Mexico with many affected patients being unvaccinated. In this region of the country, vaccination rates are reportedly poor, further highlighting the fact that vaccine hesitancy makes communities more susceptible to outbreaks of preventable diseases.⁸

“Vaccines have been around for a very long time, and they have almost eradicated a lot of diseases; if we didn't have them, there would be a lot more people that are affected by these diseases, deaths, and things like that,” Lauren Posteraro, PharmD, a pharmacist with Allegheny Health Network, said in an interview. “I know there's a lot of hesitancy, but we have to remember why [vaccines and immunizations] came about, and the good that they can do for everyone.”⁹

It is still unknown whether NIH has officially terminated or limited the projects reportedly listed in the email sent to officials earlier this week. Still, the reported message reflects the shifting priorities at NIH, CDC, and the rest of the Department of Health and Human Services, which is poised to continue. Pharmacists should remain vigilant regarding newly announced changes to research or funding, and ensure they are proactive in vaccinating patients against preventable diseases to protect themselves and their communities.

REFERENCES

1. Johnson CY, Achenbach J. NIH to terminate or limit grants related to vaccine hesitancy and uptake. The Washington Post. Updated March 11, 2025. Accessed March 12, 2025. https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/03/10/vaccines-nih-rfk-research-canceled

2. Reardon S. NIH to ax grants on vaccine hesitancy, mRNA vaccines. Science. Published March 10, 2025. Accessed March 12, 2025. https://www.science.org/content/article/nih-ax-grants-vaccine-hesitancy-mrna-vaccines

3. Halpern L. Trust-building and tailored interventions essential to improving COVID-19 vaccine rates, confidence among Black women. Pharmacy Times. Published January 22, 2025. Accessed March 12, 2025.

4. National Institutes of Health. Grants & Funding. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Accessed March 12, 2025. https://www.nih.gov/grants-funding

5. Dubé E, Laberge C, Guay M, Bramadat P, Roy R, Bettinger J. Vaccine hesitancy: An overview. Hum Vaccin Immunother. 2013;9(8):1763-1773. doi:10.4161/hv.24657

6. Halpern L. New CDC data show decrease in vaccine coverage among kindergarteners for 2023-2024 school year. Pharmacy Times. Published October 4, 2024. Accessed March 13, 2025.

7. Halpern L. Global immunization coverage lacking since COVID-19 pandemic, especially in children. Pharmacy Times. Published July 30, 2024. Accessed March 13, 2025. https://www.pharmacytimes.com/view/global-immunization-coverage-lacking-since-covid-19-pandemic-especially-in-children

8. Gerlach A. Experts raise alarm over vaccine hesitancy and misinformation as the measles outbreak spreads. Pharmacy Times. Published March 7, 2025. Accessed March 13, 2025. https://www.pharmacytimes.com/view/experts-raise-alarm-over-vaccine-hesitancy-and-misinformation-as-the-measles-outbreak-spreads

9. McGovern G. Staying up to date with routine vaccinations is crucial to slowing spread, expert says. Pharmacy Times. Published September 5, 2024. Accessed March 13, 2025. https://www.pharmacytimes.com/view/staying-up-to-date-with-routine-vaccinations-is-crucial-to-slowing-spread-expert-says