Senate Hearing on Vaccination for Preventable Diseases Today

Today, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee is meeting on "The Reemergence of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases: Exploring the Public Health Successes and Challenges." Members of the committee, chaired by Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., include Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-MA. Those testifying included Dr. Anne Schuchat, the CDC's director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases in Atlanta, , and issues raised included the growing number of exemptions based on philosophical exemptions. It is estimated that at least a 90 percent immunization rate is needed to prevent outbreaks in communities.