( CNN ) About a third of American parents harbor some degree of `` vaccine hesitancy '' that leads them to resist getting recommended vaccines . It 's also true that nearly a third of Americans think the evidence supporting climate change is shaky . Both these beliefs can be very dangerous . And those of us who make and purvey science need to better understand why people distrust and reject scientific authority in this country if we 're to combat it . The Disneyland measles outbreak has now spread to 14 states , and physicians have not been able to raise their voices high enough above the misinformed din to head off the suffering , disability and death that could result . There 's not much we can do about the small core of people who oppose vaccines based on ideology : They have been with us since Edward Jenner first introduced his smallpox vaccine in 1798 . But we have a better shot with the larger and more rational border zone of the vaccine hesitant who may base their concerns on genuine cases of vaccine harm , such as the very small but accepted link between influenza vaccination and a temporary paralysis called Guillain-Barré Syndrome . Part of the problem is that Americans see their government issuing mixed messages on the value of vaccination . Even in the midst of the current outbreak , and just as President Obama was imploring parents to vaccinate their children , New Jersey governor and likely presidential contender Chris Christie muddied the waters by unhelpfully asserting that parents should be given some leeway on whether to vaccinate . I 'll note here this is the same governor who famously erred in quarantining a returning Ebola aid worker who showed no signs of the disease , so hopefully we 'll take his public health pronouncements in the proper context . Whether the issue is climate change , Ebola , or vaccine-preventable diseases like measles , each of these threats comes with a corps of true experts who must compete for the public 's attention and trust with a set of vocal charlatans , conspiracy theorists and even politicians . In the case of measles , a breakdown of the patient-doctor relationship is to blame . The Internet has helped erode the old paternalistic relationship just as it has diminished all authority figures , while simultaneously welcoming fringe beliefs into the mainstream . Parents : What is your message to parents who do n't vaccinate their kids ? The Internet has brought down to earth the rarefied medical `` priesthood '' by democratizing access to its previously shrouded holy texts of medical science . At the same time , we doctors have injured our standing through decades of serving as willing cogs in a ballooning and inefficient medical industrial complex that took its customer base for granted . The teetering medical system has come crashing down in a conflagration of national debate about access , fair pricing and information sharing . We have witnessed the dawn of the `` empowered patient , '' whose self-generated and self-controlled data now offers the potential for enormous efficiency gains . Still , we know that cultivating a strong patient-doctor relationship is the most successful method of reversing vaccine opposition . But doctors can no longer dictate to their patients . It 's not an option . The new role we doctors play , after all the dust is settled , is entirely built on trust . We are the expert consultant to whom you bring the information you have generated from your own body and your own research . We help you navigate your ideas and worries , and craft the concise guidance you need . At the same time we can not ultimately be your concierge ; we stand on the ground between our best understanding of science and its application . Navigating that shifting territory requires winning your trust . It 's no coincidence that the golden age of vaccine acceptance in the mid-20th century corresponded with some of our most fundamental medical advances and peak prestige in the medical profession . I do n't think we 'll ever be there again . You 've earned the right to question your doctor , and you may indeed bring information to the table that your doctor does n't have . If we can carve out a system where your doctor is granted the time to truly understand you , while at the same time allowing your doctor to treat you appropriately in the border zone between our limited science and its limitless application , we 'll build up the trust we need . If we 've done our job right , you 'll seek out the insights we 've earned from treating many challenging cases over many years . And we 'll know we 've succeeded in our new relationship when you let us vaccinate your children .
Ford Vox : Some parents have been forgoing measles vaccines for kids . Scientists need to better understand why people reject science . Comment: Doctors must now rebuild doctor-patient bond .