Multi-State Measles Outbreak Sparks Political Debate
Top GOP lawmakers went on record Tuesday with their support of routine vaccination, after two elected officials -- Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie -- made remarks that caused them to step back from earlier statements. Meanwhile, news outlets examine state vaccine requirements and opt-out clauses and how this issue is viewed by parents and local officials.
The Wall Street Journal:
Measles Vaccine Debate Shifts Tone
Top Republican lawmakers on Tuesday strongly backed routine vaccination of children against deadly diseases, marking a shift in the political debate that has erupted around a multistate measles outbreak. An estimated 102 measles cases in 14 states have been tied to an outbreak that began at a Disneyland Resort in California in December. Experts say this doesn’t present a risk of measles spreading nationwide, because the vast majority of Americans are vaccinated against it. And the outbreak isn’t even the largest in the U.S. in recent years. (Hughes, Peterson and McKay, 2/3)
Politico:
GOP 2016ers: We Love Vaccines!
A slew of Republicans eyeing the White House rushed to praise the virtues of vaccination on Tuesday — distancing themselves from Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, who had appeared to question their safety as health officials across the country move to contain an outbreak of measles. It was yet another case where Paul, an ophthalmologist by training who insisted Tuesday that he’d been misunderstood, has found himself isolated on a subject within the likely GOP presidential field. But it also showed that vaccines, like a number of other scientific issues, could prove a delicate topic for Republicans who must cater to a conservative base that is suspicious of anything that smacks of a government demand. (Schreckinger, 2/3)
The Washington Post:
Vaccine Debate Presents A Political Minefield — As Hillary Clinton Can Attest
The latest tweet from Hillary Rodham Clinton sounded straightforward enough: “The science is clear: The earth is round, the sky is blue, and #vaccineswork.” But the issue of vaccinations has long been politically and emotionally fraught — involving not just public health but also the proper role of government, the prerogatives of parents and medical riddles that have yet to be solved. (Tumulty, 2/4)
NPR:
Science Of Vaccines Is Settled — But Politics Are More Complicated
The national conversation about vaccines and whether parents should be required to vaccinate their children has migrated from playgrounds and Facebook pages to the corridors of power. And although the science is settled, the politics are more perilous. NPR White House correspondent Tamara Keith reports. (2/3)
The Wall Street Journal's Law Blog:
Should Vaccination Be A Choice? In Many States, It Already Is
The question of whether parents should be forced to vaccinate their children spilled into the 2016 presidential race this week as two potential Republican contenders defended and clarified comments they made expressing support for voluntary immunizations. The fraught debate — intensified by a recent multistate outbreak of measles — seems split: between those who think mandatory vaccines are a vital tool in preventing the spread of deadly disease and vaccine skeptics who worry about vaccine risks and say the decision shouldn’t be the government’s to make. (Gershman, 2/3)
The Wall Street Journal's Washington Wire:
States Have Rejected Many Efforts To Ease Vaccination Mandates
The rise of often-affluent parents who object to vaccinating their children hasn’t led to any major changes in state laws mandating immunizations. Data compiled and analyzed by the Journal of the American Medical Association and the Immunization Action Coalition show that 31 bills have been introduced since 2009 in more than a dozen states to make it easier for parents to opt out of mandatory school vaccines. None have become law despite a push by some parents who believe the immunizations could harm their children’s development. (Tau, 2/3)
The Washington Post:
Parents With Doubts About Vaccinations Face Backlash From Pediatricians, Peers
The letter arrived in the midst of a growing furor about the country’s worst measles outbreak in years. Cindy Shay, a Maryland health-care lawyer, had been taking her children to Bayside Pediatrics in Annapolis for a decade when her doctor wrote last month that he was “no longer able to continue as your child’s pediatrician.” (Hendrix, 2/3)
NPR:
Once A Vaccine Skeptic, This Mom Changed Her Mind
The ongoing measles outbreak linked to Disneyland has led to some harsh comments about parents who don't vaccinate their kids. But Juniper Russo, a writer in Chattanooga, Tenn., says she understands those parents because she used to be one of them. "I know what it's like to be scared and just want to protect your children, and make the wrong decisions," Russo says. (Hamilton, 2/4)
The Hill:
Local Officials Blast Proposed Cuts To Vaccination Program
Local health officials are criticizing the White House for including cuts to an immunization program at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in its proposed 2016 budget. In a statement, the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) said the Obama administration is making a mistake given the widening outbreak of measles in 14 states. (Viebeck, 2/3)
Los Angeles Times:
Spread Of Measles In L.A. County Appears To Be Slowing, Officials Say
Los Angeles County officials say the spread of measles appears to be slowing, but they're concerned about low vaccination rates in some parts of the county. Interim county health officer Dr. Jeffrey Gunzenhauser said there have been 21 confirmed measles cases in Los Angeles County during the recent outbreak, of which 17 have been associated with Disneyland. Statewide, there have been 92 confirmed cases. (Sewell, 2/3)
