New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has clarified comments he made earlier on Monday about whether parents should vaccinate their children,
The Washington Post reported.
Christie had faced ripe criticism for his comments about giving parents a "choice" in deciding what's right for their children when it comes to vaccinations,
Business Insider reports.
Noted Christie, a possible 2016 GOP presidential candidate, in comments Monday
published by The New York Times: "It's more important what you think as a parent than what you think as a public official," he said during a three-day trade mission to England, when asked about the issue after measles outbreaks have exposed about 1,000 people in the U.S. and continue to raise public health concerns.
"I also understand that parents need to have some measure of choice in things as well," Christie said initially, noting that he and his wife had all their four children vaccinated. "So that's the balance that the government has to decide."
He added of the debate as he visited labs of MedImmune, a U.S. company that manufactures a nasal flu vaccine: "Not every vaccine is created equal, and not every disease type is as great a public health threat as others."
Amid criticism, Christie later expanded on his remarks, saying through his spokesman that "there is no question kids should be vaccinated," according to the Post.
Christie's office said in a statement: "The Governor believes vaccines are an important public health protection and with a disease like measles there is no question kids should be vaccinated. At the same time different states require different degrees of vaccination, which is why he was calling for balance in which ones government should mandate."
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