„I heard that vaccines have microchips in them.“ A surprising number of people tell Dr. Rupali Limaye why they don't want to vaccinate their children.
There are also concerns that certain vaccines cause autism (a persistent myth with no basis in fact), that the recommended vaccination schedule is dangerously fast, and that there are long-term side effects. Or, some may say they are worried that the government is withholding vaccines. Among other things, she says, you can get information that infectious diseases are not dangerous.
The problem, says Limay, who studies human behavior and the spread of disease at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, is that the science simply doesn't support these ideas.
vaccine This is a modern world miracle that protects us from diseases like hepatitis B, diphtheria, polio, measles and tetanus, which in previous eras killed and debilitated millions of people around the world. says Limae.
That's why the CDC, National Institutes of Health, American Academy of Pediatrics, and other reputable health organizations are clear about vaccine schedules that nearly all parents should follow.
Still, hesitancy about childhood vaccinations persists.
And while it's true that increased misinformation is contributing to this hesitancy, vaccination rates can also vary by community, tradition, or philosophical beliefs. American Indian and Alaska Native babies are 10% less likely to be fully vaccinated than white children. A similar gap exists for Black children.
Socioeconomic status may play an even bigger role. Babies in families living below the poverty level are 30% less likely to receive all recommended vaccines during the first three years of life.
In some cases, this hesitation stems from an exploitative medical history. For example, researchers in the infamous „Tuskegee Experiment“ (1932-1972) deliberately failed to treat a group of black men infected with syphilis simply to see the effects of syphilis. And in her 1950s, the bodies of Puerto Rican women were used without their full consent in research into contraceptives. Given this history, it's easy to understand why some people might be wary of orders from medical institutions.
Whatever the reason, if parents skip government-mandated or doctor-recommended childhood vaccinations, they're simply not putting their child's health at risk. They also endanger the health of the community, Limae said.
Addressing vaccine shortages will save lives. Worldwide, measles deaths fell by 74% between 2000 and 2007, largely due to increased vaccination.
In the United States, marginalized communities appear to be bearing the brunt of vaccine hesitancy. This is often due to a lack of adequate access to medical care and health education, which can make a huge difference during illness.
For example, between 2009 and 2022, hospitalizations for influenza were 1.8 times more common in the Black population compared to the white population, 1.3 times more common among Native Americans, and 1.2 times more common among Hispanics. But research suggests slow vaccinations in these areas may also be part of the problem.
In 2019, just before the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, measles outbreaks reached their highest levels since 1994. This is because more and more parents are dropping out of school. MMR vaccine (Prevents measles, mumps, and rubella) Often due to misinformation about its risks.
To be effective, MMR mass vaccination coverage must be approximately 95%. Below that, there is a risk of outbreaks, which can be very common, especially in areas where children have not received both vaccines. (For example, 2016 data shows that in certain Minnesota counties, nearly half of children under age 7 did not receive both vaccinations.)
The 2019 measles outbreak was particularly pronounced in some Orthodox Jewish communities in Brooklyn, New York, where vaccination rates were low and legal loopholes existed for religious communities.
False preconceptions about the safety of vaccination and its connection to Jewish law were at the root of these outbreaks. However, the rise in childhood illnesses has led to widespread community discussions among the New York State Department of Health, Jewish scholars, local health professionals, and the community at large to improve vaccination rates and reduce infection rates. contributed to the decline.
Other cases are difficult to deal with. For example, in the early stages of the new coronavirus infection, pandemic, a 2021 Yale University study showed that groups identifying as white evangelical Christians may be able to be persuaded to get vaccinated based on the greater good of their community. But the study showed that its effects appear to fade as the pandemic drags on, perhaps because attitudes toward vaccines are more closely tied to particular political identities and viewpoints.
Still, Limae says there's no reason vaccine education wouldn't work in religious communities. A 2022 University of Michigan study found that while research shows there is a trend towards vaccine skepticism among certain religious groups, fewer people believe their religion specifically prohibits vaccination. Only about 3% of people do so.
Vaccine education can be a game changer, but the approach you take can make all the difference.
Research shows that campaigns that focus on specific religious identities are more likely to provoke defensive reactions. It is better to focus on the universal moral value of caring for others.
In fact, Limae says it's often best not to directly contradict perspectives, no matter how unusual it may seem. So what does she say to people worried about microchips in vaccines?
„I say, 'I know there's a lot of information out there and it's hard to tell what's true and what's not. Let me explain a little bit about the vaccine development process.' ”
„Part of it is framing it in a way that it's a shared decision-making process,“ she says.
Stay informed, she says. In one case, she saw the mother of one of her children with asthma decide to get vaccinated after hearing that they too had contracted the coronavirus and died. asthma.
Correcting new myths can often be like playing whack-a-mole, Limae said. That's why she has some general guidelines for how to talk to people who may be misinformed about the risks and benefits of vaccines.
- Listen to concerns and don't be quick to correct beliefs that you believe are based on misinformation.
- Be sure to address your individual concerns with facts from reliable sources such as the CDC, National Institutes of Health, and American Academy of Pediatrics. If you don't trust one of your sources (such as the CDC), it's good to have other reliable options.
- Consider providing something you can read from a reliable source, either in the form of a link or a hard copy. „Whether they ask for it or not, I'd rather give them something to look at than have them Google something themselves,“ Limae says.
- Listen carefully to objections to what you say, and understand that persuasion can take much longer than a 15-minute conversation.
- give details. Limae advises medical students in her class to explain more to parents and patients about how vaccines are made.
And don't badmouth people, says Limae. Try to accommodate them in their respective capacities. Personal stories are a great way to build connections. If there's a personal story about a child who got seriously ill because they didn't get vaccinated, „I think that's really powerful.“