Anti-vaxxer Blows Through the GOP Debate

Dr. William Schaffner, chairman of the Department of Preventive Medicine at Vanderbilt University and leading editorial advisor to Hospital Infection Control & Prevention, has long been an advocate of everyone receiving the proper vaccinations.

When anti-vaxxing for the pediatric population came up in Wednesday’s GOP debate, Schaffner doubled down.

“I think it’s sad,” Schaffner told The New York Times. “I would have hoped — since two of the discussants were physicians — that there would have been a ringing discussion about safety and value of vaccines, and an affirmation of the schedule set out by the American Academy of Pediatrics.”

Raising Schaffner’s ire initially was Donald Trump, who insisted there was a connection between early childhood vaccinations and autism. The physicians Schaffner further cites were Rand Paul, an ophthalmologist, and Ben Carson, a neurosurgeon, who hedged their medical bets by saying these vaccinations are safe … but that too many are given in too short a period of time.

None of these responses satisfied Schaffner, who is also a longtime supporter of adult vaccinations. Just a few short months ago, CMS began posting hospital quality data, including influenza vaccination rates for patients and staff, online. It’s a move Schaffner endorses, but he finds the posted numbers too low because underreporting won't dispel anti-vaxxing myths.

“[Hospitals] clearly don’t want to be outliers when it comes to this change in practice across the country as more and more institutions move to a variety of mandated programs,” he told Hospital Infection Control & Prevention. “Many of them now record immunization rates above 90%. Having your institution stuck at 72% begins to look inappropriate and no longer the norm. That motivates CEOs to say, ‘We have to do better and we’re going to do whatever it takes.’”

-- Reported by Lee Landenberger, AHC Media Editorial & Continuing Education Director