From doctors to legislators: Vote yes on current vaccine bills and then do more

As a hospital pediatrician, I was heartbroken to care for my first patient with measles. Despite knowing intellectually that, due to poor vaccine uptake, this completely preventable disease would make a resurgence in my career, the severity of the illness still took me by surprise. There is a striking difference between textbook descriptions of rash, fever and pneumonia; and seeing a small child connected to a breathing tube to help her damaged lungs obtain air.

Like most physicians, I was hit by a wave of emotion- anger at the opportunistic anti-vaccine lobby for causing so much unneeded suffering, fear for the long term effects including brain damage and death that this girl might suffer and above all else, sadness that so many innocent children will continue to be hurt.

{mosads}As measles outbreaks sweep the nation, conversations naturally turn towards solutions: how do we assure that all children are fully immunized and protected from unnecessary disability and death? The answer is simple. We must work towards universal vaccination and we must do so as quickly as possible. The passage of bills such as HB 1638 in Washington show that we are finally beginning to take small steps in the right direction. By eliminating “personal belief” vaccine exemptions, HB 1638 aims to reduce the alarmingly high vaccine refusal rate.

This importantly and correctly reflects how our nation’s declining vaccination rates are directly responsible for needless suffering and also highlights that the guise of “personal belief” is neither a medically nor morally justifiable reason for denying immunizations. Yet the scope of this bill is extremely limited. Not only does HB 1638 apply solely to the MMR vaccine, but additionally fails to cover “religious exemptions,” which, as no major religion promotes vaccine refusal, have been notoriously misused and misappropriated.

In New York, two new bills now provide the opportunity to give broader protection to children. Unlike HB 1638 in Washington, A2371 in New York would remove dangerous “religious” exemptions and thereby strengthen its existing vaccine legislative framework. Coupled with A6564, which would allow individuals aged fourteen years and older to consent to their own vaccinations, we would begin to see a meaningful impact to the community towards putting an end to measles and other completely preventable diseases.

It is therefore with my strongest voice that, on behalf of pediatricians and the larger medical community, I implore legislators to vote yes on both A2371 and A6564. Refusal to do so is not merely an act of pandering to a vocal minority of predatory propagandists, but will directly cause the disability and death of innocent children.

Then, once these bills are passed, we cannot rest until further frameworks are finally enacted to definitively protect all children from unnecessary suffering. Measles is contagious, devastating and will move faster than this type of limited and slow-paced legislation.

If we are content to simply chase outbreaks with piecemeal bills, thousands of children will be left behind. The vaccine “debate” is over and the only controversy that remains is how we as humanists, lawmakers, physicians and parents will be able to live with ourselves if we do not act as swiftly and broadly as possible to assure that each and every child lives a long, happy and healthy life.