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 CONTAGIOUS.
I BELIEVE THERE'S AN OUTBREAK
RIGHT NOW IN VIRGINIA.
WE'VE HAD OUTBREAKS IN
WISCONSIN.
IT CAN GO THROUGH UNIVERSITIES
AND COLLEGE CAMPUSES, BARRACKS
AND MILITARY INSTALLATIONS, SO
IT'S ONE OF THOSE VERY TIELY
CONTAGIOUS, HIGHLY INFECTIOUS
DISEASES.
>> DO MOST FAMILIES 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 EXPERIENCE 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 FOR 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