Column Health & Medicine

Vaccine policy in the U.S. is entering uncharted territory

Experts warn that an upheaval of past practices may hurt public health

By Tina Hesman Saey

Senior Writer, Molecular Biology

A protestor wearing a black bucket hat holds out a hand-lettered white sign as silver car passes. The sign says "Vaccines cause adults." Vaccines is written in red and cause adults is in black.

Demonstrators rallied in support of vaccines during a June meeting of a CDC advisory panel that sets vaccine policy in the United States.

Mike Stewart/AP Photo

Vaccines are facing new challenges from an unexpected quarter: the people who set vaccine policy for the United States.