Vaccine anxiety… A teachable moment for doctors?

I’ve read and re-read Dr. Paul Offit’s WSJ opinion piece, The Anti-Vaccination Epidemic. Dr. Offit is a professor of Pediatrics at a leading hospital in the United States. He is also an author, a scientist, and a vaccine-developer. In short, he is a major physician leader. I’ll come back to that point in just a second. His piece addresses the problem of pediatric infectious disease in the United States. Context is important here. Data from the CDC show that infectious disease is not in the top-five causes of death in children. In the US, children older than one are ten times more likely die from unintentional injury then they are from infection. Homicide and suicide kill many more young Americans than does infections. But no one would argue pediatric infectious diseases aren’t important. One tool against infectious disease is vaccines. But for vaccinations to work effectively, populations must be vaccinated. Vaccines require a social contract. In some areas of the US, as in other countries, human beings are deciding to delay or withhold getting vaccines. Dr. Offit points out the curious fact that vaccine abstention clusters in populations of wealth and education. I find the anti-vaccine movement an interesting human phenomenon. Why would it be that this many people, smart people, thinking people, loving parents, choose not to vaccinate? Why am I, a disciple of absolute benefits and risks, so squeamish about taking the mandated influenza shot? And,...
Source: Dr John M - Category: Cardiology Authors: Source Type: blogs