Save the Date—Virtual Town Hall webcast airs February 19, 2009

Misinformation about the safety of childhood vaccines has become one of the top challenges in public health today. In response to the challenge, the Immunization Branch will air the virtual town hall webcast, Vaccines: Wading through the Confusion, February 19, 2009 from 10:00-11:30 am. The program will then be available until June 30, 2009 as a podcast and an archived webcast.

The webcast will provide frank discussion about parents’ questions and fears about vaccines, and will feature a panel of medical, scientific, public health, and communications professionals. The panel will also include parents whose lives have been touched by vaccine-preventable disease or by autism, as well as parents seeking reliable information to help them keep their children safe and healthy. Panel members will provide their own perspectives, drawing on science, medicine, ethics, and personal experience as they discuss hot-button vaccine topics.

The webcast launch will provide opportunities for viewer participation, including a live question-and answer session, online polling, and a blog site. Registration information will be available by the end of December. Until then, contact Edgar.Ednacot@cdph.ca.gov for additional information.