In recent weeks, a host of public figures — from comedians to columnists to President Barack Obama — have called on parents to vaccinate their children against measles and other diseases.
But some experts say that the time for earnest public health appeals is long past. Instead, they argue, vaccines should be given the same nonnegotiable status as car seats for young children and the minimum drinking age. In other words, it’s time for a law on the books.
“We have seat belt laws,” Patsy Stinchfield, director of Pediatric Infectious Disease Services at Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota, told The Huffington Post. “We would never think to just lay that newborn baby down in the front seat and say, ‘I don’t really believe in car seats,’ or ’I don’t really want to buckle my child up.’ … We should have the same kind of vigor when it comes to protecting children from vaccine-preventable diseases.’”
–
Still, Larson acknowledged that even the most patient, nonjudgmental health worker in the world wouldn’t necessarily be able to convince every parent to vaccinate their children.
“There are some people for whom it will take some major epidemics to wake up the need for shifting gears,” she said. “Although some of the interviews I’ve heard with some people, even in the face of the outbreaks, are standing firm.”
