Valerie testifies on vaccine science to the CT Public Health Committee

May 13, 2019
Valerie shared her views on the science of vaccines with the CT public health committee in Hartford, CT. A report from the CT Department of Public Health showed that several communities in CT have vaccination rates well below 95% (the level for safe herd immunity).
 
Take home messages from her testimony:

Science is not an opinion or a view on one side of the issue. It’s data and evaluated based on expertise and information. Conclusions can differ but the data is the data. When world experts come together to say, vaccines work, this is not an opinion. 

I did not testify today as a “paid professional”. I am not paid by pharma and neither are the other scientists that testified today. Pharma does not influence my views on evaluating the data on vaccines.

Judges are not scientists and the legal profession largely lacks scientific expertise. The opinion of lawyers and whether a case is settled does not change the data on the importance of vaccines for public health. 

The Food and Drug Administration has stringent rules that evaluate the safety of medical products, including vaccines. In fact, vaccines are monitored more stringently than most medicines by the FDA. 

As a mom, I will ask parents that have my children visit their home these two questions: 1) do you store guns in your home and 2) do you vaccinate your children, because that is how I keep my children safe.