This article was authored by Brad Roth, Ph.D. and Michigan Representative for Grandparents for Vaccines
In 1954, the first nationwide trial of the polio vaccine began. Its success led to the near eradication of polio in the United States. Most people alive today don’t remember that trial, but many grandparents do. Many can recall lining up as second graders for the shot and the relief their families felt once it was clear the vaccine worked.
As the Michigan representative for Grandparents for Vaccines, a volunteer-led nonprofit that shares stories about life before vaccines, I’ve heard dozens of accounts like this. Since becoming a first-time grandfather last year, I’ve thought about them more than ever. Vaccinating my grandson wasn’t a decision my daughter and her husband debated. It was something they believed they owed him.
That’s why, as the school year approaches, I want every parent and grandparent in Michigan to hear this clearly: now is the time to make sure the kids in your life are up to date on their vaccines. The country is in the middle of its worst measles year in 35 years. The U.S. has already logged more measles cases in 2026 than in all of 2025, the highest total since measles was declared eliminated here in 2000, with nearly five months still left on the calendar. With many Michigan school districts opening soon, the weeks before that first bell are the easiest time to catch up on a missed dose.
Parents today face no shortage of misinformation about vaccines. The best person to help sort fact from fear is your child’s pediatrician, who can walk you through the evidence on vaccine safety and effectiveness. For Michigan-specific, evidence-based information, IVaccinate.org is another trustworthy resource, and I’d encourage every parent to bookmark it.
Vaccines matter for students of every age. Kindergartners need the MMR vaccine, which protects against measles, mumps and rubella, to stay safe alongside their classmates. College students should confirm they’re up to date on the meningitis vaccine, since the disease spreads quickly through crowded dorms.
MMR coverage among Michigan toddlers has slipped to just 75.7%, down nearly 10 percentage points since 2020. That matters because measles is one of the most contagious diseases known: a single infected person can spread it to as many as 18 others. As of mid-August, Michigan had confirmed 16 measles cases this year, most of which were tied to outbreaks in Washtenaw and Ottawa counties.
Vaccination doesn’t just protect your own child; it protects infants and medically vulnerable kids who can’t be vaccinated themselves. Most children who catch measles recover, but some develop pneumonia, brain swelling, or worse. The benefit of the vaccine far outweighs that risk, and again, your pediatrician is your best guide.
Whooping cough, or pertussis, is another disease worth watching closely. Cases in Michigan have climbed sharply, from 110 in 2023 to more than 2,000 in 2024, and infants bear the brunt of it: severe complications like pneumonia and seizures are common in babies too young to be fully protected. Fittingly, the pertussis vaccine has Michigan roots. It was developed in Grand Rapids in the 1930s by scientists Pearl Kendrick and Grace Eldering, a medical triumph every Michigander should be proud of. The DTaP vaccine keeps that history from repeating itself.
Grandparents remember these diseases well. Many of us suffered through them as children, and some lost siblings or friends to them. We don’t want to relive those years, when illnesses that are preventable today could keep a child from reaching adulthood. If you have a story about life before vaccines, or about why you chose to vaccinate the children in your life, you can share it at GrandparentsForVaccines.org.
Before the first day of school, do one thing for the kids you love: check their immunization records, talk to their doctor, and visit IVaccinate.org for trusted, Michigan-specific answers about vaccine safety. Let’s not go back to a time before vaccines were common. Let’s keep moving forward.