At the annual Vaccine Policy Symposium held Friday by the Baker Institute Health and Biological Sciences Center and the Immunization Partnership, panelists outlined future efforts to build trust in public health and immunization efforts.
The irony of the symposium’s timing, coming less than 24 hours after President-elect Donald Trump nominated Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for secretary of Health and Human Services, did not register with the speakers.
“In fact, you might think it was pretty prescient of us to choose this day for this symposium,” said the executive director of the Partnership for Immunization, a Houston-based nonprofit that advocates for disease prevention. said Terry Burke, executive director.
President Trump said he promised to give Kennedy a “big health binge.” Although much remains unclear about Kennedy’s plans, the longtime vaccine skeptic said he would consider removing fluoride from water and encouraged people to “individually evaluate” vaccinations. I am doing it.
Health issues rank low on the presidential campaign trail, and Burke said that gives him hope that discussions about science and vaccines will remain low on the incoming Trump administration’s priority list.
But for Mr. Burke, Kennedy’s nomination and the ongoing political climate appear to usher in a morning of “red skies for scientists,” the sailor’s adage that signals a storm to come.
“What does that storm look like?” asked Mr. Burke. “Those with more powerful telescopes than I see an uphill battle ahead for those who advocate evidence-based public health policy.”
At the state level, Rep. Ann Johnson, D-Houston, said she believes this coming legislative session is the time to defend public health provisions rather than advance them. He added that the situation depends on early debates in Congress, including a fight for the Texas House speaker position.
“We will find out in the first few days of the session whether the Texas House sticks to its institutions and bipartisan ideals or if it truly goes off track,” she said.
Speakers at the 2.5-hour presentation also included Dr. Saad Omar, dean of the School of Public Health at UT Southwestern Medical Center, and Michael Emerson of the Baker Institute. Omer discussed ways to improve vaccination efforts and combat misinformation.
Emerson’s presentation focused on vaccine hesitancy among American communities at large, especially evangelical Christians. He made three suggestions. One is to acknowledge the concerns of the community without ridiculing them. Understand the root of the concern. and appeal to Biblical values, especially those focused on the common good and community improvement.
“The secret to success is to utilize the teachings of the Bible and the concept of Christian community,” he said. “And finally, being open to the concerns and criticisms this community may have, and accommodating wherever possible, will be essential to building trust and helping groups work together to support vaccination. ”
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