I remember when vaccination wasn’t controversial. It feels like a long time ago. It’s unlikely things will change any time soon because people are no longer placing high levels of trust in institutions. There is a substantial amount of evidence people serving in the highest levels of government, both at the White House and Congress, aren’t being truthful. Even when they are, it’s difficult to take what they say at face value. It used to be that when someone took political office they set up a blind trust or sold anything that might be perceived as influencing their decision making. That’s no longer the case in every situation.

I say that to say this, I understand why it’s difficult to trust hospitals. Physicians of all kinds, especially Pediatricians, seem to follow the recommendations of large organizations. It’s difficult to trust these large health care organizations when we see scandals like the Epipen pricing scandal where the Mylan CEO who is accused of gouging is U.S. Senator Joe Manchin’s (D-W.V.) daughter. Fortunately, the scientific evidence to support vaccinations has been around a lot longer than recent history. When vaccinations were developed and these programs were first implemented, the institutions doing the research were worthy of our faith and trust.