Guest Editorial…Ignorance outbreak on vaccines

 
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s and Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul’s recent remarks on vaccinations have sparked alarm among medical experts.
After touring a pharmaceutical facility last Monday, the Republican governor and likely presidential contender created controversy when he remarked, “Parents need to have some measure of choice” when it comes to whether to vaccinate their children.
Next, Paul an ophthalmologist who is also readying a 2016 campaign, said in two U.S. television interviews he thinks most vaccines should be voluntary, citing “many tragic cases of walking, talking, normal children who wound up with profound mental disorders after vaccines.”
“The state doesn’t own your children,” Paul said on CNBC, praising vaccines for their health benefits but insisting the government should not mandate their use in most cases. “Parents own the children. And it is an issue of freedom and public health.”
The comments by Christie and Paul show a remarkable ignorance of medical science and are counterproductive to efforts to get children vaccinated.