Inside STAT: UNICEF flooded with anti-vaccine calls ahead of teen’s talk

UNICEF’s phone lines this week are flooded — and all because of a teenager. Ever since 18-year-old Ethan Lindenberger shared with the world that he had gotten all his vaccinations against his mother’s wishes, he has gained notoriety in both pro- and anti-vaccination circles. He is speaking at UNICEF today about his first-hand experience with vaccine misinformation, much of which his mother encountered on Facebook. The agency received an onslaught of anti-vaccine calls ahead of his speech. This backlash is something that Lindenberger is now used to. “I have friends and family, people who go to my church, who can’t stand what I’m doing,” he said, adding, “when something becomes this polarizing, it becomes very toxic.” STAT’s Megan Thielking has more here.