Chris Christie, vaccinologist? Measles expert?

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is rightfully taking a drubbing this week for

and his claim that parents "need to have some measure of choice" about vaccinating their children.

We aren't sure what this means other than to suggest that deaths, disability, and sickness from some vaccine-preventable diseases are less important than others.

Following a chorus of criticism aimed at the governor's comments, Christie did later walk back his remarks, saying "there is no question kids should be vaccinated."

That we are even having this discussion is maddening. Vaccines are the safest and most important way we can protect ourselves and our children from diseases that once caused a significant loss of life or caused lifetime disabilities.

That we are even having this discussion also reflects a profound failure on the part of public health education and a failure of a small but significant population of Americans to understand that we are part of a community.

Gov. Christie has a busy travel schedule, so he may not have time to read all the materials from his own health department. To help him understand why measles is a serious problem we'll summarize the critical points for him:

2. For every 1,000 who children who get measles in a developed country like the United States, 1 to 3 of them die, despite the best treatment. Even recently, from 2001 through 2010, an average of 1 out of every 4 people in the U.S. who got measles had to be hospitalized.

3. There is no link between the measles vaccine and autism. And vaccines have not caused the rise in prevalence we have seen in autism over the past two decades.

There are manifold restraints to which every person is necessarily subject for the common good. On any other basis organized society could not exist with safety to its members. Society based on the rule that each one is a law unto himself would soon be confronted with disorder and anarchy.

A governor's job is to protect the public's health in part by providing accurate information and encouraging citizens to protect their health and that of others. The state health department is doing that; Christie should follow its example. And, although the scientific literature doesn't come out and say it, we will: saving lives is more important than pandering to voters who distrust science.

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