For the record (this story had actually slipped my mind), when I brought my six year old to the pediatrician for her annual checkup, the doctor asked if she sits in a booster seat in the car (required up to age 8 where we live, believe it or not).
When I responded in the negative, I was given a rather stern talking to by the doctor.
When my friend brought his obese ten year old son for a checkup, the doctor (not the same one) read both the parents and the child the riot act, and gave them, in no uncertain terms, the prognosis for his condition.
Apparently, some physicians do take these issues seriously.
But still, there’s something special about the possibility of epidemic [especially of devastating illnesses] that somehow evokes the strongest ire. Go figure.