USC Experts on the Measles Outbreak and the Anti-Vaccination Movement
What responsibility does the news media have in spreading misinformation? What political fallout could arise from the measles outbreak? What risks are posed to infants, who are too young to receive the vaccine?
Contact: Andrew Good at (213) 740-8606 or gooda@usc.edu.
The ethics of vaccinating a child
“This is not a deep ethical conundrum. Rather, it is a telling indictment of our society’s inability to properly educate our citizenry.”
Dr. David A. Goldstein is associate professor of medicine at the Keck School of Medicine of USC and co-director of the USC Pacific Center for Health Policy and Ethics. His specialties include internal medicine and primary care, and his expertise includes medical ethics, preventive medicine and hospital medicine. He can discuss signs and symptoms of measles, as well as ethical considerations of not vaccinating children against communicable diseases.
Contact: (323) 226-7592 or dgoldste@usc.edu.
Going viral: how vaccine myths are spread
“Misinformation about any issue is difficult to correct. Once people have accepted an erroneous belief, they often hold on to it despite abundant evidence that speaks against it.
“The repetition of misinformation makes media reports a conduit for false beliefs even when the report attempts to correct them. The better alternative is to only provide correct information without repeating erroneous claims.”
Nobert Schwarz is provost professor of psychology and marketing at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts & Sciences. His expertise is in human judgment and decision-making, including how misinformation about the MMR vaccine has spread online and in news media. His 2012 study on the subject looked at how misinformation about vaccines has been sustained even after being debunked.
Contact: norberts@usc.edu.
Politics infects the discussion of science
“This is another example of the politicalization of science; not even science is immune from partisanship any more.”
Sherry Bebitch Jeffe is a senior fellow at the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy. She’s an expert in national and California politics, and can discuss proposed legislation to repeal the “opt-out” provision of vaccination law. She can also discuss various politicians’ response to the measles outbreak, including President Barack Obama and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.
Contact: (310) 641-7472 or sbjcgs@aol.com.
The risks infants face in an unvaccinated population
“There are a number of people who cannot be vaccinated against measles for medical reasons, including infants. They’re much more susceptible to measles complications if they do become infected. In order to protect them, at least 95% of the people in their local community, school, or daycare need to be immunized.”
Dr. Steven Fox is assitant professor professor of clinical medicine at the Keck School of Medicine of USC and the USC Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics. He can discuss the public health risks of people not vaccinating their children and herd immunity.
Contact: (310) 383-3355 or steven.fox@med.usc.edu.
