"It's hard to believe that infectious diseases have become a political litmus test, but they are now very much part of the "with us or against us" mental sorting more and more people seem to be doing these days. And the topic seems to be everywhere. Do you think the U.S. should continue funding aid programs for diseases such as AIDS, TB and malaria? Are you pleased or horrified about Florida's plans to undo school vaccine mandates? Do you seek out or steer clear of the annual flu vaccine?"
"As someone who recently completed 15 years of post-college training to become an infectious diseases physician-scientist, I can't avoid these conversations. I just wish I knew the magic words to reach people willing to jettison decades of evidence and research for something they read online. I am proud of my work and committed to my profession. Yet in a country polarized by everything from the response to the abhorrent assassination of Charlie Kirk to RFK Jr.'s abrupt reconfiguration of the nation's vaccine advisory committee, I hesitated to share my occupation with the talkative young man I was recently seated next to on a flight."
Infectious diseases have become a political litmus test and fuel polarized public responses to funding, mandates and personal vaccination choices. Questions arise over U.S. aid for AIDS, TB and malaria, state moves to undo school vaccine mandates, and individual decisions about annual flu vaccination. A physician-scientist with 15 years of post-college training faces pervasive misinformation and conspiracy theories that challenge evidence-based medicine. Professional pride and commitment clash with hesitation to disclose occupation amid polarized reactions to public figures and advisory changes. Encounters with lay assertions, such as claims that Lyme disease was created as a bioweapon, prompt corrective explanations grounded in epidemiology.
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