Attention all healthcare PR and marketing people: Let’s join together in promoting vaccines and the truth about vaccines. They save lives. Forbes contributor Tara Healle states it extremely well with “Ben Carson Doesn’t Get It: All Our Vaccines Prevent Death.”

Dr. Ben Carson during last night’s presidential debates.

What Healle finds especially disheartening is that two physicians who know better, or should know better, chose to pander during last night’s Republican presidential debate on the subject of vaccines. Dr. Ben Carson, a neurosurgeon, made the claim that while some vaccines are very important and save lives, some do not fit into this category. Carson suggested there should be some discretion in the use of these vaccines.

As Haelle points out, all of the vaccines on the CDC list for childhood vaccinations have the demonstrated potential to prevent conditions that can lead to death.

Another physician running for president, added his view. Rand Paul, an ophthamologist, said he’s all in favor of vaccines, but also in favor of freedom. Healle’s response:

“I’m for freedom too, Rand Paul. I’m for freedom from disease. I’m in favor of ensuring that my child and those in my community don’t get sick from measles and die because fear has led others in the community not to vaccinate their children.”

As a Minneapolis healthcare PR and marketing firm, we want to help get the word out. We commit to making vaccines a regular focus of this blog and will work in other ways to combat the unscientific disinformation out there about the effectiveness and safety of vaccines.

One of my good friends, a physician in Los Angeles, contracted polio as a child in the 1950’s. My friend has surmounted many difficulties, and is an inspiration to many, including myself. He is offended by untruths about vaccines. If only the polio vaccine had been around when he was a child!

Let’s not let the science doubters, including physicians running for president, carry this debate. People of reason need to speak out, loudly and often.