The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions held a hearing March 5 to address preventable disease outbreaks, reports The Washington Post.
Three takeaways from the hearing:
1. Lawmakers discussed the dissemination of false information on vaccines and its consequences to public health. Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., MD, said there should be repercussions for parents who do not vaccinate their school-age children per state requirements. He pointed to hospitals that have mandatory flu shot policies as a positive example of community immunity.
"If the nurse's aide is not immunized, she can be a Typhoid Mary, if you will, bringing disease to many who are immuno-compromised," he said during the hearing.
2. Ethan Lindenberger, an 18-year-old from Ohio who got vaccinated against his mother's wishes, also testified during the hearing. Citing his own experiences with his mother, Mr. Lindenberger argued that public health officials should turn to anecdotes and personal stories to highlight the importance of vaccination to antivaccine parents.
"When you convince parents, not that information is incorrect, but that their children are at risk, that's a much more substantial way to get people to change their minds," he told lawmakers, according to The Post.
3. Washington state's secretary of health, Dr. John Wiesman, also attended. Dr. Wiesman is overseeing the health department's response to the state's worst measles outbreak in more than 20 years. He said state lawmakers who've proposed legislation to make it harder for parents to claim personal vaccine exemptions have been met with death threats. Dr. Wiesman urged lawmakers to roll out a national, CDC-led campaign to address antivaccine sentiment.
"We have lost much ground," he told the Senate committee. "Urgent action is necessary."
To view the full report, click here.