Vaccine Refusal: Stories from the Front Lines of Immunization Education

Abstract

AbstractOne way that U.S. state governments participate in immunization governance is to mandate vaccination for daycare and school enrollment. In response to rising rates of vaccine refusal, and concerns about outbreaks of previously well-controlled vaccine-preventable diseases, Michigan has chosen to require parents or guardians to attend ‘immunization counseling’ prior to receiving nonmedical exemptions to their state’s vaccine mandate. This chapter presents a brief memoir essay based on a composite of Michigan’s public health immunization educators. We constructed this composite character from interviews we conducted with 39 Michigan immunization educators. This narrative raises pressing ethics questions about the benefits and burdens of mandatory immunization education.