Student documentary on vaccination rates released after months of controversy

A team of one-time student journalists and now graduates of Carlsbad High School in California have just released Invisible Threat, a documentary delving into “science of disease and the risks facing a society that is under-vaccinated.” The 16-student outfit drew inspiration for the film, which they began producing over their summer break, from the health statistics from their own neighborhoods. North County, a northern section of the San Diego region, was noted for having one of the lowest rates of vaccination compliance California, according to the students.

“Our goal with this film is to make sure we are educating people on the reality of vaccinations,” Bradley Streicher told U-T San Diego in 2012.

As news about the then-fledgling documentary spread, outcry from anti-vaccination proponents began to pour in to CHStv, Carlsbad High School’s production program behind the documentary.

“We really took pride in the work we did as students,” Streicher told the LA Times. “It’s sad to see that people would call it into question.”

Two years later, having completed post-production and weathered the woes of media attention, Invisible Threat is now available for rent via CHStv’s Vimeo page along with a curriculum designed in tandem with the documentary.