Rethink vaccine position – San Francisco Chronicle, 6/5/2019

Regarding “Newsom signals opposition to tougher vaccine rules” (June 2): Sorry, Gov. Gavin Newsom, but you really need to rethink your position on vaccines. This is not just between you and your kids, because it is about vaccinations against infectious diseases. Have you missed the recent outbreaks of measles, a disease we thought we had eliminated years ago?

You characterize this as an issue about a bureaucrat making a decision that is very personal. Maybe you think referring to a bureaucrat helps make your case that protecting the sanctity of the family is at stake, but you are also dismissing the credibility of public health professionals who have made major strides in eliminating or reducing rates of infectious diseases over the past century.

No, this isn’t just a family decision, its about being part of a larger community where our individual decisions have implications for others. Maybe it was just a Trump-like moment when you spoke off the cuff, but I sure hope you have advisers who can help you see the issue with much greater clarity than your words convey.

Bob Prentice, San Francisco