Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Measles Outbreaks: Teen Who Got Vaccinated Against Parents' Wishes To Speak To Congress; Amazon Yanks Anti-Vaccination Documentaries; State Lawmakers Push For Lax Vaccine Rules
The Washington Post: Ethan Lindenberger Got Vaccinated Against His Parents Wishes. Now, He’ll Testify To Congress.
Ethan Lindenberger began by questioning his parents’ anti-vaccine stances and eventually got himself inoculated, a rebellion that caught the attention of the national media and Congress. The 18-year-old from Ohio announced Saturday on YouTube that he had been invited to speak before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions at a hearing Tuesday devoted to examining outbreaks of preventable diseases. He will appear alongside experts such as John Wiesman, Washington state’s secretary of health, and Saad B. Omer, a professor at Emory University in Georgia, according to the committee’s website. (Epstein, 3/3)
The Hill: Teen Who Got Vaccinated Against Parents' Wishes Testifying Before Congress
Lindenberger said in the video that his testimony would address "preventable diseases, spreading and outbreaks of preventable diseases, as well as addressing misinformation that causes these outbreaks." "I'll be testifying along the likes of people such as [John] Wiesman, who is the secretary of Health for Washington [state]," Lindenberger says in the video. (Bowden, 3/2)
The Hill: Amazon Reportedly Pulls Anti-Vaccine Documentaries
Amazon has reportedly pulled documentaries about the anti-vaccination movement from its streaming service shortly after Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) pressed the tech company to stop allowing the “harmful” content. Anti-vaccine movies entitled "We Don't Vaccinate!" "Shoot 'Em Up: The Truth About Vaccines," and "Vaxxed: From Cover-Up to Catastrophe," were previously available for Amazon Prime subscribers, CNN Business reported. Those titles were listed as "currently unavailable" on Saturday morning. (Gstalter, 3/2)
Politico: State Lawmakers Pushing For Laxer Vaccine Rules Despite Measles Outbreaks
Measles is spreading from New York to Texas to Washington state in the worst outbreak in years, but some state lawmakers want to take the vaccination debate in the opposite direction: Loosening rules covering whether kids get inoculated. In Oregon, state lawmakers will consider a so-called transparency bill favored by the "vaccine hesitant." New York is simultaneously considering eliminating and expanding exemptions that allow parents to opt out. One bill in Texas would prohibit the state from even tracking exemptions. (Colliver, 3/3)
CNN: Vaccination Deniers Gaining 'Traction' On Social Media, Health Chief Warns
Anti-vaccination "fake news" being spread on social media is fueling a rise in measles cases and a decline in vaccination uptake, the head of England's National Health Service (NHS) has warned. Simon Stevens said "vaccination deniers" are gaining traction through their use of social media platforms including Instagram, WhatsApp and YouTube. (Picheta, 3/2)
The Associated Press: Measles Outbreak In Pacific Northwest About Half Of US Cases
The focus on measles in the Pacific Northwest intensified Friday as public health officials in Oregon announced a new case of the highly contagious disease unrelated to an ongoing outbreak in Washington state that's sickened 68 people so far. An unvaccinated Illinois resident who spent time overseas visited Portland International Airport and various locations in Salem, Oregon last week while contagious with measles, the Oregon Health Authority said. Potential exposure locations include a Red Robin restaurant and a trampoline fun park in Salem, officials said. (Flaccus, 3/1)
The Oregonian: Vancouver-Area Measles Outbreak Cases Climb To 75
The number of people diagnosed with measles in Oregon and Washington rose to 75 Saturday as Clark County officials confirmed two new cases. Both were children younger than 11 who had not been vaccinated, according to Clark County Public Health officials. Officials also said anyone who was at The Vancouver Clinic on Northeast 87th Avenue between 3:30 and 9:30 p.m. Friday or 9 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Saturday may have been exposed to measles. (Kavanaugh, 3/2)
The Oregonian: Visitor With Measles Visits Portland Airport, Salem-Area Businesses
An Illinois resident with measles visited the Willamette Valley recently, possibly exposing Oregonians to the virus. This case is unrelated to the current outbreak that has affected 73 people in Oregon and Washington. The unvaccinated person traveled abroad in countries where measles is common and then brought the virus back to the U.S. The person landed in Portland International Airport, jumped on trampolines in Salem and ate at a Red Robin, casting a large net where people might have been exposed to the virus. (Harbarger, 3/1)
San Francisco Chronicle: Measles Outbreak In Bay Area In 2018 Tied To Unvaccinated Children
A small measles outbreak in the Bay Area last year spread almost entirely among families who had chosen not to vaccinate their children — including two young boys whose mother lied to public health investigators about their immunization status — underscoring the gaps that remain in vaccination coverage in California, according to a report published Friday. Only seven people were infected in the outbreak that started in Santa Clara County. (Allay, 3/1)
Boston Globe: Boston Health Officials Issue Measles Warning
The Boston Public Health Commission issued a measles warning Friday after a bus passenger diagnosed with the respiratory disease traveled through South Station on Tuesday and on to New Hampshire. The passenger was on Greyhound Bus #2520 that traveled from New York City to Boston’s South Station, the commission said in a statement. (Stanton, 3/2)
WBUR: Boston Health Officials Warn Of Measles Exposure After Confirmed Case
The diagnosed person took Greyhound Bus #2520 from New York City to South Station in Boston. The passenger then traveled to Manchester, N.H. on Boston Express Bus #5178, which stopped in Tyngsborough and Nashua, N.H., the Boston Public Health Commission said in a statement. Anyone who was on the Greyhound bus from 4 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., at South Station from 8:30 p.m. to midnight or on the Boston Express bus from 10 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. may have been exposed, the statement said. (Cote, 3/2)
