% INDIAN AFFAIRS TO RESOLVE THIS
% MATTER.
% >>> AT THE CAPITOL THIS WEEK,
% THE REPUBLICAN LED RULES
% COMMITTEE HEARD TESTIMONY ABOUT
% UPDATED IMMUNIZATION
% REQUIREMENTS FOR CHILDREN WHO
% ATTEND SCHOOL AND DAYCARE.
% AMONG THE UPDATES, THE
% DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH SERVICES
% CHANGED OR ADDED RULES FOR
% VACCINES THAT PREVENT MENINGITIS
% AND CHICKENPOX.
% OFFICIALS TESTIFYING WERE MET
% WITH HOSTILITY FROM SOME
% COMMITTEE MEMBERS WANTING TO
% REHASH MANDATES MADE DURING THE
% COVID-19 PANDEMIC.
% >> SO WHEN WE LOOK AT THAT PAST
% HISTORY, AND A NUMBER OF THINGS
% THAT WERE JUST FLAT OUT WRONG
% AND KIDS HAVE BEEN HARMED
% BECAUSE OF THE SCHOOL
% SHUT-DOWNS, HOW DO WE TRUST YOU,
% AND HONEST TO GOD, THAT MADE ME
% SO ANGRY BACK THEN, AND EVEN
% NOW, I'LL BE HONEST, WHEN I SEE
% YOU, I REFER TO YOU AS
% WISCONSIN'S DR. FAUCI.%>> TO
UNDERSTAND MORE ABOUT
% THESE VACCINE CHANGES, WE TURN
% TO DR. DeMURI AT UW HEALTH, A
% PEDIATRICIAN.%THANK YOU FOR
BEING WITH US,
% DOCTOR.
% >> MY PLEASURE TO BE HERE.
% >> STATE HEALTH DEPARTMENT
% CANNOT REQUIRE A MENINGITIS
% VACCINE IN THE UP SEVENTH GRADE
% AND A BOOSTER IN THE 12th
% GRADE.
% WHAT'S YOUR REACTION TO THAT AS
% AN INFECTIOUS DISEASE DOCTOR?
% >> WELL, IT'S QUITE CONCERNING.
% WE KNOW THESE ARE SAFE VACCINES.
% THESE TWO ILLNESSES CAN BE
% DEVASTATING.
% MENINGITIS, OR MORE
% APPROPRIATELY, MENINGOCOCCAL
% DISEASE, CAN RESULT IN DEATH,
% CAN RESULT IN AMPUTATION OF THE
% LIMBS AND, YOU KNOW, ALL OF US
% IN INFECTIOUS DISEASE HAVE SEEN
% THAT AS PART OF OUR CAREER.
% KNOWING THERE'S A WAY TO PREVENT
% THIS AND MAKE OUR SCHOOLS SAFE
% AND KEEP OUR SCHOOLS SAFE IN
% THIS, IT'S REALLY DISHEARTENING
% TO HEAR THIS.
% >> HOW CONTAGIOUS, ALSO, IS
% MENINGITIS?%>> IT'S QUITE CO
NTAGIOUS.
% I BELIEVE THERE'S AN OUTBREAK
% RIGHT NOW IN VIRGINIA.
% WE'VE HAD OUTBREAKS IN
% WISCONSIN.% IT CAN GO THROUG
H UNIVERSITIES
% AND COLLEGE CAMPUSES, BARRACKS
% AND MILITARY INSTALLATIONS, SO
% IT'S ONE OF THOSE VERY TIELY
% CONTAGIOUS, HIGHLY INFECTIOUS
% DISEASES.%>> DO MOST FAMILIE
S GO AHEAD AND
% GET IT REGARDLESS OF KIND OF
% WHAT THE RULES ARE?
% ARE PEDIATRICIANS RECOMMENDING
% IT?
% >> IT'S BEEN STRONGLY RECOMMEND
% FOR QUITE SOME TIME NOW AND MOST
% FAMILIES, FORTUNATELY, DO GO
% AHEAD AND GET IT, ALTHOUGH
% THERE'S NOT QUITE AS MUCH
% AWARENESS OF THIS VACCINE AND
% SOME OF THE OR VACCINES.
% WE ALSO KNOW THAT SCHOOL
% REQUIREMENTS INCREASE AND
% IMPROVE OUR IMMUNIZATION RATES
% IN COMMUNITIES.
% THOSE STATES THAT HAVE THE MOST
% ROBUST SCHOOL REQUIREMENTS HAVE
% THE HIGHEST IMMUNIZATION RATES.
% AND HERE, EVEN IN WISCONSIN,
% WE'VE SEEN WHEN WE IMPLEMENT
% THIS RULE FOR SCHOOLS, OUR
% IMMUNIZATION RATES GO UP AND THE
% DISEASE RATES GO DOWN.
% >> SO THE LEGISLATURE ALSO
% REMOVED A NEW REQUIREMENT THAT
% HEALTHCARE PROVIDER CONFIRMED
% THAT A CHILD HAD CHICKENPOX TO
% NOT HAVE TO HAVE THE VACCINATION
% AND IT REVERTS BACK TO KIND OF
% THE CURRENT RULE WHERE A PARENT
% CAN COME IN AND SAY, OH, YES, MY
% CHILD HAD CHICKENPOX AND SO I'D
% LIKE THE TO BE EXEMPT FROM
% HAVING TO PROVE THAT
% VACCINATION.% IS THAT ENOUGH
IN YOUR MIND TO
% HAVE PARENTS BE ABLE TO ATTEST
% TO THAT?
% >> IT'S NOT.
% I THINK THIS WAS A GOOD RULE
% CHANGE.%IT'S BEEN MY EXPERIE
NCE THAT
% IT'S BECOME VERY DIFFICULT FOR
% PARENTS TO DIAGNOSE CHICKENPOX.
% EVEN YOUNG PHYSICIANS SOMETIMES
% HAVE TROUBLE DOING IT.
% OF THOSE THAT WERE AROUND BEFORE
% 1990, THE EARLY '90s WHEN THIS
% VACCINE CAME OUT, HAD CERTAINLY
% SEEN PLENTY OF CHICKENPOX, BUT
% SINCE THAT TIME, MANY PARENTS
% AND EVEN YOUNG PHYSICIANS
% HAVEN'T SEEN IT AND WE NEED TO
% GET SOME MORE CONFIRMING TESTING
% TO DO IT.
% >> DECLINING RATE OF CHILDHOOD
% VACCINATIONS IN CHILDREN,
% DROPPING FROM 92% IN 2020 TO
% JUST UNDER 89% IN THE LAST YEAR.
% HOW CONCERNING IS THIS FOR
% PEDIATRICIANS?
% >> WE'RE VERY CONCERNED.
% AGAIN, THIS IS A DISTURBING
% PHENOMENON.
% IT'S CERTAINLY SOMETHING THAT I
% THINK PARALLELED COVID AND
% MISINFORMATION THAT WAS OUT
% ABOUT COVID-19 VACCINATION AND
% ALSO ABOUT COVID DISEASE ITSELF.
% SO SOME OF THE ANTI-SCIENCE,
% MISINFORMATION THAT'S OUT THERE
% HAS NOW CARRIED OVER TO OTHER
% VACCINES AND THAT'S QUITE
% CONCERNING FOR THE POSSIBILITY
% OF NEW OUTBREAKS OF INFECTIOUS
% DISEASES THAT HAVE BEEN QUIETED
% FOR YEARS.
% >> DO YOU SEE PATIENTS AND
% FAMILIES THAT KIND OF HOLD ONTO
% THAT MISINFORMATION AND DECLARE
% THAT, NO, THEY DON'T WANT
% VACCINES?
% >> WE DO.
% UNFORTUNATELY, WE DO.
% THIS ATTITUDE IS CERTAINLY
% BECOME MORE PREVALENT SINCE
% COVID, AND IT'S SOMETHING WE TRY
% TO PROVIDE INFORMATION ABOUT,
% PROVIDE THE LATEST SCIENTIFIC
% AND BEST SCIENTIFIC INFORMATION
% WE HAVE, AND OUR EXPERIENCE.
% MANY OF US, PEDIATRICIANS,
% FAMILY DOCTORS IN THE COMMUNITY,
% HAVE SEEN MANY OF THESE
% ILLNESSES AND CAN PROVIDE THAT
% EXPERIENCE TO THEIR FAMILIES.
% >> STILL OUT THERE ALSO IS THE
% MISINFORMATION ABOUT VACCINES
% CAUSING AUTISM.
% WHAT IS YOUR MESSAGE ON THAT?
% >> YOU KNOW, THIS HAS BEEN
% DEBUNKED NOW OVER AND OVER
% AGAIN.%INITIAL CONCERN WAS FO
R MEASLES
% VACCINE AND SOME OTHER VACCINES
% AND IT'S SOMETHING THAT JUST
% ISN'T SPECIFICALLY ESTABLISHED
% OR PROVEN.
% IN FACT, THE OPPOSITE HAS BEEN
% SHOWN, THAT THERE'S NO LINK
% BETWEEN VACCINES AND AUTISM.
% PARENTS CAN BE VERY ASSURED OF
% THAT AND VERY CONFIDENT IN THE
% SAFETY OF THE VACCINES.
% >> IN A BROADER SENSE, IN YOUR
% MIND, SHOULD LAWMAKERS BE MAKING
% DECISIONS ON CHILDHOOD VACCINES
% OR SHOULD IT BE PUBLIC HEALTH
% OFFICIALS?
% >> IT SHOULD BE PUBLIC OFFICIALS
% IN CONSULTATION WITH PHYSICIANS
% AND SCIENTISTS USING THE BEST
% SCIENCE WE HAVE, THE BEST
% EPIDEMIOLOGY AND SCIENTIFIC
% INFORMATION WE HAVE.
% HERE IN WISCONSIN, OUR STATE
% GOVERNMENT HAS DONE THAT, TAKEN
% INPUT OF LOCAL AND NATIONAL AND
% REGIONAL LEADERS IN MAKING THOSE
% DECISIONS.
% >> WE LEAVE IT THERE, DR. GREG