Pediatrician on vaccine skepticism and his approach with parents

Oregon has one of the highest rates in the country for kindergarteners with vaccine exemptions. The state’s 7% rate is only lower than Utah’s (7.4%) and Idaho's (9.8%).  Ryan Hassan is a pediatrician in Happy Valley and also serves as the medical director for Boost Oregon, a parent group working to increase vaccinations overall through education. He says he’s seen coronavirus vaccine skepticism bleed into skepticism towards well-established vaccines against measles, mumps, rubella and pertussis. He says since the pandemic, an industry promoting dangerous disinformation about vaccines has itself spread like a virus. We talk with him about how he approaches conversations with parents of school-aged children, and how Boost Oregon is attempting to overcome disinformation with the truth about the medical efficacy and public health necessity of vaccinating against preventable diseases of all kinds.

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