'Rebuilding Vaccine Confidence'

The following event was originally published in Atlanta News First.

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Atlanta News First, in partnership with Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health, is hosting an event aimed at examining public trust in vaccines as misinformation continues to fuel preventable outbreaks.

Rebuilding Vaccine Confidence takes place Wednesday, Nov. 5, from 3 to 5 p.m. at Emory University.

The event begins with a screening of Tragedy in Paradise, a documentary produced by Atlanta News First (WANF-TV, CH. 46). The film examines how misinformation played a role in a 2019 measles outbreak in Samoa that killed 83 people, most of them children. The documentary was developed in partnership with the Pulitzer Center.

Public health officials believe false claims spread by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. at the time, helped drive down immunization rates before the epidemic exploded.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER.

Following the screening, Atlanta News First Investigative Reporter Andy Pierrotti will moderate a panel discussion with public health leaders who will focus on solutions to combat vaccine skepticism.
 

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Panelists include:

• Dr. Peter Marks, former director of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Marks is the architect of Operation Warp Speed, which fast-tracked COVID-19 vaccines during the pandemic.
• Dr. Nicky Chin, president of the Georgia chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Dr. Chin is a practicing pediatrician and associate professor at Morehouse School of Medicine.
• Laurel Bristow, infectious disease researcher and science communicator at Emory’s Rollins School of Public Health. She is also the host of Health Wanted on WABE and has built a large following on social media for sharing fact-based science information.

The event is free, but attendance requires advanced registration. Viewers can submit questions for panelists ahead of the event here. The address and parking instructions are shared by email after registration.

The panel discussion comes as measles cases in Georgia and across the country have surged to levels not seen in three decades. Public health experts say declining childhood vaccination rates and viral misinformation are driving the increase.

Health officials warn the United States is on a path similar to Samoa, where vaccine hesitancy fueled by false vaccine claims led to the deadly 2019 outbreak.

Today, the majority of the public health community say that threat is magnified as Kennedy, now serving as U.S. Health and Human Services secretary, continues to question vaccine safety, a stance that has amplified skepticism among some Americans.