PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Multnomah County Public Health Director Kirsten Aird signed a letter on Monday, joining a coalition of public health leaders supporting vaccines amid “political noise.”

Aird signed the letter with 23 other members of the Big Cities Health Coalition

— a group of America’s largest metropolitan health departments working together to address health issues for the communities they serve.

In their letter, the public health officials explained, “As leaders of the nation’s largest local health departments, collectively serving nearly 50 million people across America’s cities, we are committed to providing our communities with every opportunity to support and improve health. We are united behind a simple message: Get vaccinated.”

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“Vaccines have eradicated devastating diseases and saved millions of lives. They keep classrooms safe and schools open. They allow children to spend time with friends and enjoy their favorite activities. They help parents and caregivers work to support their families,” the letter continues.

The public health leaders went on to voice their concerns over federal health officials spreading false claims about vaccine safety.

“Despite this extraordinary success, vaccination rates are declining in many parts of the United States, and deadly outbreaks of diseases like measles and polio are becoming more frequent. We are deeply troubled by the repeated false claims about vaccines from too many federal officials, which have contributed directly to these trends. We are equally concerned about recent changes to the recommended childhood and adult immunization schedules that unnecessarily limit access to vaccines. It is imperative that federal health leaders follow the lead of pediatricians and medical researchers and support vaccination to protect our children, families, and communities,” BCHC wrote.

“Nothing matters more to us than protecting the health of those we serve. With respiratory virus season rapidly approaching, we strongly encourage all Americans to tune out the political noise about vaccines. Instead, talk with your doctor and other trusted health care providers or public health officials about which vaccines are right for you and your loved ones. “Doing so can save many lives — including your own,” the letter concludes.

The letters’ signatories include public health leaders representing Dallas County Health and Human Services, Metro Nashville Health Department, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, Chicago Department of Health, Denver Department of Public Health and Environment, the chief health strategist of Louisville and the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.

The letter comes as the vaccine advisory panel for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is looking into the timing of vaccine schedules after voting to delay the measles, mumps, rubella and chickenpox vaccines, as reported by The Hill.

The move comes after Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. remade the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. The panel now includes members with anti-vaccine views, the Associated Press reports, noting ACIP helps the CDC determine who should get vaccinated and when. The recommendations impact whether insurance companies cover vaccinations and where shots are available, such as pharmacies.

According to The Hill, HHS Secretary Kennedy has “blasted what he characterizes as an overabundance of childhood vaccinations, often throwing out figures of up to 92 vaccines from infancy to adolescence.”

While the true number of vaccinations is hazy, The Hill reports that, depending on a child’s health, they are unlikely to receive 90 vaccines.

“Pia Pannaraj, a professor of pediatrics and member of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Committee on Infectious Diseases, told ABC News last month that her estimate is around 33 vaccines on a standard schedule between birth and 18 years of age,” The Hill reports.

According to the outlet, some pediatricians have been alarmed by Secretary Kennedy’s new panel, with the American Academy of Pediatrics recently announcing it would continue publishing its own vaccine schedule for children but will do so independently of the ACIP, calling it “no longer a credible process.”