Opinion: I'm a vaccine activist — and I'm optimistic about the future right now

The current forecast for vaccine policy in the United States is, to put it mildly, stormy. With Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as the nominee for secretary of Health and Human Services and a slate of other names — including Mehmet Oz, Jay Bhattacharya, and Florida Surgeon General Joseph A. Ladapo — floated as possible appointees, public health advocates are rightly concerned about the future of evidence-based public health policies. 

I understand the consequences of vaccine disinformation too well. When my son, Thomas, was 5 months old, I dropped him off for his second week of day care. Later that day, we got the dreaded “Dear Parents” email: A case of chickenpox in the infant classroom meant that the babies would need to quarantine at home for 28 days. Two days later, Thomas broke out with the telltale varicella rash and developed pneumonitis in his lungs. Chickenpox can be serious, but we were lucky: He did not need to be hospitalized, and he made a full recovery. This experience, which could have been prevented, inspired me to speak up for our family and others. 

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