Media/Policy Watch
This section is intended to alert readers to substantive news, analysis and opinion from the general media on vaccines, immunization, global; public health and related themes. Media Watch is not intended to be exhaustive, but indicative of themes and issues CVEP is actively tracking. This section will grow from an initial base of newspapers, magazines and blog sources, and is segregated from Journal Watch above which scans the peer-reviewed journal ecology.

We acknowledge the Western/Northern bias in this initial selection of titles and invite suggestions for expanded coverage. We are conservative in our outlook in adding news sources which largely report on primary content we are already covering above. Many electronic media sources have tiered, fee-based subscription models for access. We will provide full-text where content is published without restriction, but most publications require registration and some subscription level.

Brookings
http://www.brookings.edu/
Accessed 7 February 2015
Blog Post
What the Anti-Vaxxers are Getting Dangerously Wrong
February 6, 2015, Kavita Patel and Rio I. Hart

CNN
http://money.cnn.com/
Accessed 7 February 2015
CNNMoney Reports
The money behind the vaccine skeptics
[Video] By Kate Trafecante @CNNMoney
Well-funded family foundations are backing the movement to get parents to question vaccines.

Council on Foreign Relations
http://www.cfr.org/
Accessed 7 February 2015
Transcript
Media Call: Measles Outbreak in the United States
with Laurie Garrett, Richard E. Besser, Thomas E. Novotny February 6, 2015
Laurie Garrett, CFR’s senior fellow for global health, and Richard Besser, ABC News’ chief health and medical editor join Thomas Novotny, San Diego University’s associate director for border and global health, for a conference call on the recent measles outbreak in the United States and its effect on public health.

Backgrounder
Ebola Virus
by Danielle Renwick February 5, 2015
The 2014 Ebola outbreak that killed thousands in West Africa has spurred new efforts to improve regional health-care systems and global responses.

Expert Brief
The Year of the Flu
by Laurie Garrett February 4, 2015
Health experts are already calling 2015 one of the most complicated ever for influenza outbreaks, and the prevalence of lethal strains normally found in birds is especially troubling, writes CFR’s Laurie Garrett.

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The Economist
http://www.economist.com/
Accessed 7 February 2015
Of vaccines and vacuous starlets – The Economist
Jan 31, 2015 – The measles vaccine, now combined with those for mumps and rubella, is safe and effective. Yet some parents believe the opposite and refuse…

Politics and vaccinations – What experts say, and what people hear
Feb 5th 2015, 15:47 by N.L. | CHICAGO
EVERY day seems to bring a new story of a politician saying something stupid or evasive about vaccines. Rand Paul frets that they might cause mental disorders. Chris Christie said that his own children had taken their shots but that “parents need to have some measure of choice”. Barack Obama, who once waffled on this subject, has declared his strong support for vaccinating children against measles, as has Hillary Clinton. The airwaves and the internet are filled with discussions about whether or not vaccines are safe. Health officials are worried that the discussion itself could scare more parents into shunning them…

Financial Times
http://www.ft.com/home/uk
Accessed 7 February 2015

February 7-8, 2015
Spots of Resistance
By Leslie Hook and Sarah Mishkin
A measles outbreak linked to a mass infection at Disneyland has sparked a fierce debate in the U.S. about whether more should be done to persuade “anti-vaxxers” to immunise their children.

February 4, 2015 6:29 pm
Merck defends children’s vaccines after measles outbreak
David Crow in New York and Andrew Ward in London
Merck has launched a staunch defence of its childhood vaccines, after an outbreak of measles in California prompted a nationwide debate on the safety of infant immunisation.
Roger Perlmutter, Merck’s head of research and development, told the Financial Times that childhood vaccines were “one of the major triumphs that medical science has ever made”.
“We are extremely proud of what we have been able to do to vanquish paediatric diseases that cause enormous suffering and death,” added Mr Perlmutter.
Merck is the sole provider of immunisations against common childhood diseases in the US through its combination measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) and Proquad products.
Mr Perlmutter called on the government and other advocacy groups to do more to reassure the public about the safety of vaccines. He said there was a limit to how much Merck could do because “there are many who believe we are in some way prejudiced by virtue of being a commercial entity”…

Forbes
http://www.forbes.com/
Accessed 7 February 2015
RAND Corporation MD: Some Educated Parents Misunderstand Critical Vaccine Information
This is the second part of a story on the cost of measles. Read the first part, “Measles Outbreaks Cost Taxpayers Millions.” One way to save money, time and suffering caused by outbreaks of measles and other preventable, contagious diseases, such as whooping cough, is to vaccinate. A dose costs $20 to […]
Vanessa McGrady, Contributor Feb 06, 2015

Why Debate Over Vaccines And Autism Will Continue
How do you win a debate, when the arguments you’re presented with keep changing? Such is the problem with the dispute over whether vaccines – and specifically the shot for measles, mumps, and rubella – cause autism. At first, the theory of disease was related to a 1998 study, published in […]
Scott Gottlieb, Contributor Feb 04, 2015

Sears and Gordon: Should Misleading Vaccine Advice Have Professional Consequences?
In the midst of this measles outbreak, everyone has started talking about extreme anti-vaccine advocates (such as that crazy cardiologist in Arizona who I’m not going to give free publicity to) or politicians stepping into it about “freedom of choice” (see Chris Christie’s and Rand Paul’s recent statements). But extremists […]
Tara Haelle, Contributor Feb 03, 2015

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New Yorker
http://www.newyorker.com/
Accessed 7 February 2015
News Desk: The New Yorker
2 days ago … Talking to Vaccine Resisters. By Seth Mnookin.Measles, the most infectious microbe known to humanity, is making a comeback

February 6, 2015
The Political Scene: Fear of Vaccines
By The New Yorker
“Where is my child’s liberty if she is made sick by the freedom of someone else not to be vaccinated?” says the New Yorker staff writer Michael Specter about the politics of falling inoculation numbers. Specter joins fellow staff writer Ryan Lizza and host Dorothy Wickenden on this week’s Political Scene podcast to discuss the anti-vaccination movement and American hostility to science.
They discuss the origins of suspicions about vaccines, the history of government responses to epidemics, the change in popular attitudes toward science during the George W. Bush Administration, and President Obama’s inability to convince some Americans that vaccinations are safe for their children. “When he champions something, it polarizes the issue,” says Lizza. “If he says the sky is blue, people may start to question that.”
You can listen to the full episode in the stream above. You can also subscribe to the podcast for free on iTunes or via RSS. Listen to the latest episodes of all New Yorker podcasts here.

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New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/
Accessed 7 February 2015
Paul on Vaccines, Thin Line Between Medicine and Politics
February 07, 2015 – By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS – U.S. – Print Headline: “Paul on Vaccines, Thin Line Between Medicine and Politics”

Ebola Drug Aids Some in a Study in West Africa
Favipiravir — effectiveness in Ebola patients participating in a study. The medicine, which interferes with the virus’s ability to copy itself, seems to have halved mortality — to 15 percent, from 30 percent — in patients with low to moderate virus…
February 05, 2015 – By SHERI FINK – Science – Print Headline: “Ebola Drug Aids Some in a Study in West Africa”

Ebola: Sierra Leone Officials Criticize Travel Relaxation
FREETOWN, Sierra Leone — Although Ebola cases are declining in West Africa, Sierra Leone officials are worried that the president’s decision to lift travel restrictions may re-ignite the spread of the deadly disease. President
February 03, 2015 – By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS –

Measles Outbreak Proves Delicate Issue to G.O.P. Field
February 03, 2015 – By JEREMY W. PETERS and RICHARD PÉREZ-PEÑA –

As Ebola Ebbs in Africa, Focus Turns From Death to Life
February 01, 2015 – By NORIMITSU

The Vaccine Lunacy
February 01, 2015 – By FRANK BRUNI – Opinion – Print Headline: “The Vaccine Lunacy”

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Wall Street Journal
http://online.wsj.com/home-page?_wsjregion=na,us&_homepage=/home/us
Accessed 7 February 2015
Video: Measles: How the Unvaccinated Put the ‘Herd’ at Risk
A measles outbreak in California has scientists concerned about the disease making a resurgence. Why do health officials track vaccinations so closely? WSJ’s Jason Bellini has #TheShortAnswer.
23 Hours ago Video – WSJ

Behind the Numbers: Herd Immunity
Herd immunity relies upon a certain vaccination rate–92%-94% in the case of measles–to safeguard those in the herd who can’t or won’t get immunized. And that rate has been threatened by the anti-vaccination trend.
The Numbers — Yesterday 03:56:00 PM

The Weird Vaccine Panic
Rand Paul joins the Santa Monica left by indulging bad science.
02/03/15
Opinion

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Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Accessed 7 February 2015
Opinions
Revoke the license of any doctor who opposes vaccination
By Arthur L. Caplan February 6
…When politicians ignore the evidence, fail to cite appropriate medical authorities, and rely on hearsay and rumor, with the result that people — out of ignorance or error — don’t vaccinate their children, we can and should deny them elective office. When a doctor does so, we should demand that he forfeit his right to use his medical degree to misinform, confuse or lie.