Because March Twisdale has been so active in her efforts to spread doubt about the safety of vaccines, I think it is important to respond to her latest letter to The Beachcomber titled “Arguments supporting vaccines were only anecdotal.” This letter was in response to the opinion column in the previous Beachcomber by Brigitte Brown titled “Consider the Tragedies Prevented by Vaccines.”

March implies that Brigitte built a case for vaccine effectiveness based on her personal stories. That by ignoring “other stories” Brigitte is able to connect vaccines to the disappearance of vaccine-preventable diseases. However, Brigitte was not using her stories to prove the science, as March implied by saying “[Brigitte] attempted to paint a convincingly pro-vaccine picture.” Brigitte’s editorial was a personal account with stories from her life that reflect what we absolutely know to be true. There is no debate in the scientific community that vaccines are responsible for the near elimination of vaccine-preventable diseases, and the eradication of smallpox. As a fiction writer, March understands the importance of storytelling, and that stories can help make sense of the science, not prove it.

The debate is no longer whether or not vaccines work or what the risks are. The debate now is whether or not personal exemptions should be allowed in public schools, whether or not hospitals and other workplaces can require employees to be vaccinated, and what is the balance between freedom of individual choice and public safety. To question vaccine science now is like questioning climate change. We are facing the real possibility of measles spreading to our community, and it is time that we face what that could mean for us. If you have questions about vaccines, please talk to your doctor so you can make the best choice for your family.

— Celina Yarkin