LINDSEY REISER:
00:02:29
Can you help us understand for the people at home? Those are strong words. Why is this so troubling to you? Well, it's part of a pattern. Imagine if in fact we had the people running NASA all members of the Flat Earth Society. Probably be a challenge, wouldn't it? What we have right now is a very small group of individuals who are basically anti-vaccine in their approach, who take information and mislead people with false statements, data that just simply are not accurate or true. And as you've heard from all the medical societies, you've heard from the scientific community, there is no reason for which we need to change this particular requirement. It was one that we've allowed to drop by 99%, as you pointed out, the number of infections that are occurring in children born to infected mothers. Remember, that's how the primary transmission occurs is during the birthing process and the exposure to the blood and body fluids. That vaccine dose is critical to get in that first day because that's what will then help stop the transmission from the mom to the baby. And so time is of the essence here. We don't have a health system in this country where we can assume every woman who comes to deliver a baby will have medical records available and generally in a position to provide the confirmation, is this woman infected with hepatitis B or not? And so the only way we've been able to successfully stop this transmission is by doing this exact program with a highly safe and highly effective vaccine. I have to be quick with you on this last one, but the current recommendation is not a mandate. So can you help us understand what decisions parents can and can't make about vaccinating their child now? Parents have always had the opportunity to decide the vaccination status of their child. That's not changing. It doesn't change here. But on the other hand, is if when a parent asks, is this vaccine recommended? And you can say, well, it's not, then in fact you create more doubt in the minds of the parent who are going to say, well, if it's not recommended, then why should I get it? And what you want to share with them it is recommended. It's because of the fact that we have the data showing how effective it is, how safe it is, and without it, there will be a continued number of children that will be born into this country who did not need to become infected with hepatitis B. Just remember, over 6 million infections have been prevented in this country since we put into place in 1991. This very same recommendation. Michael Osterholm, thank you for your time. Thank you.
