Giving Compass' Take:

• Laurie Garrett explains how complacency led to the rise of the anti-vaccine movement and can also undermine other public health accomplishments. She prescribes constant vigilance to maintain good public health. 

• How can funders fight public complacency about public health progress? 

• Learn more about non-medical measures to improve public health.

You've written about the link between the rise of populism and anti-vaccination sentiments. I'm curious how you see these threads intertwined, and what are the impacts on global health?

Whether you're talking about vaccines or a whole range of classic public health interventions, we're really in a tight spot right now. Not just in the United States, but all over the world because of the collapse of globalization as a driving force in the world and the rise of nationalism and populism.

With nationalism and populism comes anti-governmentalism and a kind of general suspicion of people in power … and of any institution that issues mandates or demands of any kind. Public health is number 1, inextricably bound to government, and number 2, uses amongst its many weapons to protect the health of the masses as it were … mandates and legal instruments.

It's no coincidence that as Trump was rising yet not voted as president yet, he latches on to Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the whole idea that vaccines are somehow dangerous. It again ties in with all these dark, sinister conspiracy theories.

Here's the question then. How do we get back from that?

There's many aspects to that question. Public health people didn't create the anti-globalization movement, and public health people can't unilaterally unseat some of the political leaders around the world that have been using a suspicion of vaccines as part of their mobilization of mass support.

What they can do is recognize [that] with a little bit of hubris we all got pretty darn comfortable with the success story of global health.

What do you see in the future? How are things going to work out?

For the institutions of public health, put aside global, just think local: Complacency has to end. They're all now seeing what it's like to deal with anti-vaccine movement. They're starting to wake up. They're starting to flex some muscles, seek legislative authority, and realize that you can never let your guard down. Public health is not a steady staircase upwards. It's a few steps up and then somebody knocks you down the stairs, and you start all over again, climbing.

Many people seem have taken vaccines for granted. Do you think that seeing the measles outbreaks and sick children will be enough to persuade people to return to vaccines, to give up the vaccine skepticism?

My point is larger than that. My point is this: Public health can never assume and take for granted that something they know to be a great success and has saved millions of lives is accepted as such by the community at large or the powers that be. And that means you can never stop talking about clean water. You can never stop talking about washing your hands. You can never stop talking about food safety and the need for food inspectors. It's a classic problem that when public health is working, it's a negative, meaning there's no great cataclysmic events occurring.

Read the full article about recovering from the damage of the anti-vax movemen by [u'simpson'] at Global Health NOW.