There’s been much discussion over the past few weeks about the so-called anti-vaxxers, parents who have chosen for a variety of reasons not to vaccinate their children.
From the commander in chief and public health leaders to medical experts and other parents, the message has been as clear as you can get: “Vaccinate your children.”
Dr. Sanjay Gupta: Vaccines are a matter of fact
And yet, just telling parents they should vaccinate and why they should vaccinate is unlikely to do the trick, said a number of doctors I interviewed.
“The problem is not as simple as just saying let’s educate people because I think a lot of these parents have seen the data, have seen the science, and yet they still don’t want to vaccinate,” said Dr. Celine Gounder, an infectious diseases and public health specialist.
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But what might move the needle more than anything else is when more and more people get diseases such as measles and when we see what those diseases can do.
Vaccines work, but some parents choose not to use them
“We in public health, we talk a lot about how public health is often invisible. You don’t think about what it does until you see an outbreak of disease,” said Smith.
“So I think it’s those breakthrough disease outbreaks like we’re seeing now that do bring parents back to realizing 1 in 1,000 kids with measles could die and several get measles encephalitis and pneumonia so they realize … just how deadly and how serious it can be.”
What is the best way to persuade people to vaccinate their children? Share your thoughts with Kelly Wallace on Twitter or CNN Living on Facebook.
