Number of Parents Refusing Vaccines 'High and Getting Worse,' Pediatrician Says

PBS NewsHour: The childhood vaccine program of the United States has proven to be one of the most powerful public health achievements of our history," Dr. John McCullers told a Senate hearing on Tuesday. And yet, vaccine opposition and hesitancy "are now impairing our ability to effectively ensure coverage," he said. McCullers, pediatrician-in-chief at Le Bonheur Children's Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, explained how pediatricians can play an important role in counselling parents who get much of their misinformation online or from uninformed opinions on social media. But for parents who aren't swayed by their doctors, McCullers says broader educational and policy fixes are needed to combat this public health threat.