Four panelists gathered at WSU Vancouver to talk about the measles outbreak and vaccines. Panelists included healthcare professionals, health writers and a vaccine-hesitant VanCoug. The panel was put on by WSU Vancouver’s Edward R. Murrow College of Communication.
From January through April 2019, Clark County Public Health Services confirmed 71 cases of measles in Clark County alone. On Nov. 12, WSU Vancouver held a panel titled “Anatomy of a Public Health Crisis: Clark County’s Measles Outbreak,” to discuss the measles epidemic and what the community should do moving forward regarding vaccines and public health emergencies.
The panelists included: Alan Melnick, county public health director and Clark County health officer, Debra Carnes, director of strategic communications at PeaceHealth, Wyatt Stayner, health staff writer at The Columbian and Lori Anderson, a WSU Vancouver student. Oregon Public Broadcasting Southwest Washington Bureau Chief Molly Solomon moderated the panel.
According to the Clark County Public Health website, currently 78% of people ages six to 18 have been vaccinated in Clark County. Melnick touched on the issue of low immunization rates among Clark County residents. According to Melnick, in order to prevent a public health crisis, the community must increase immunization rates.
“This [outbreak] was completely and 100% preventable and it’s no surprise that we had this. Given our vaccination rates that continue to be low and given that measles is still circulating globally and around the United States, we’re likely to have another one,” Melnick said. “This situation is inevitable to happen again if we don’t get our vaccination rates up in our community.”
Carnes touched on the role PeaceHealth plays when conversing with patients about getting vaccinated and making sure the community is aware that PeaceHealth is a reliable source that focuses on scientifically supported evidence.
“Our providers can’t convince or force a parent to give vaccines to their children, but they certainly can present all the facts,” Carnes said. “We are really just trying to appeal to the safe, effective nature of vaccines and the risks that are there when you choose not to vaccinate.”
“This situation is inevitable to happen again if we
don’t get our vaccination rates up in our community.”
— Alan Melnick
Regarding the importance of vaccinations, the panel discussed ways to communicate with people on both sides of the spectrum ranging from pro-vaccine to anti-vaccine. The panel concluded that individuals should converse and listen to both sides of the issue and try to understand each other’s perspectives.
Junior strategic communications major and vaccine-hesitant member of the panel, Lori Anderson, shared her input on how the community could practice better communication among the topic of vaccination.
“I would like for people to actually sit down, communicate and understand just because somebody is hesitant … [it’s] for a reason. Everybody has a reason for the decisions that they make and I’d like for people to communicate with each other instead of blaming each other,” Anderson said.
There is currently one confirmed case of measles within Clark County as of Nov. 21. Vaccination rates are still low, despite 2019’s outbreak. According to the Oxford Vaccine Group, 90-95% of people need to be vaccinated to achieve herd immunity [protection from infectious disease occurring when a large portion of the population is immune, usually from vaccines] for measles.
Emily is a senior studying integrated strategic communication at WSU Vancouver.