Amanda Peet on Vaccines

This popped up on NPR a little over a week ago, and I saved the article to write about at some point. For those interested in the debate over vaccinating children, here's a nice look at how Amanda Peet has become a spokesperson in favor of vaccines. Regarding conflicting opinions in the media and from some celebrities that vaccines are bad:

Peet says she was bewildered and frustrated by "the disparity between what I was hearing from other moms here in Hollywood and what I was hearing from the doctors."

Leaving the actual debate out of it, I think it's interesting to see how one celebrity opted to become involved in this issue after becoming confused about all the different things she was hearing, seeing online, etc. I'm sure plenty of "normal" people go through the same thing, but they don't necessarily end up with access to a leading expert on vaccines for education.

I'm sure that having Peet as a champion for vaccines is a good thing (for those on that side of the debate), but I also have to wonder how many average people are really going to be influenced by what Amanda Peet, Jenny McCarthy (anti-vaccines), or any other celebrity has to say about this. When I'm looking for information on a controversial and important health issue, celebrities are seldom a primary source of information... I'd have to guess that online blogs and advocacy sites managed my common people are more likely to have an effect on anyone looking online for health information - it'll have that extra "learning from someone just like me" impact.

That article on NPR also generated a lot of reaction, 116 comments as I'm posting this. If nothing else, it's a vigorous debate and worth keeping an eye on.