Vaccine hesitancy is growing. Doctors will have to fight back.
The Washington Post (archive.ph)
By The Editorial Board
2023-05-17 23:16:42GMT
A nurse prepares a coronavirus vaccine dose at the Ward 4 D.C. Covid Center on March 31. (Eric Lee for The Washington Post)
Measles was declared eliminated in the United States in 2000, and the credit goes to parents who, year after year, brought their children to get measles, mumps and rubella vaccinations. When enough children are vaccinated, say 90 percent or more in a school or community, they reach herd immunity, and the highly contagious measles virus has nowhere to go. Now, a new public opinion survey of attitudes toward childhood vaccines suggests most parents will continue this essential practice — but there is reason to worry about growing skepticism of lifesaving medications.
The survey by the Pew Research Center of 10,701 U.S. adults conducted between March 13 to 19, published Tuesday, found that Americans “remain steadfast in their belief in the overall value of childhood vaccines,” with no change over four years “in the large majority who say the benefits of childhood vaccines for measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) outweigh the risks.” This view was endorsed by 88 percent of those questioned, compared with just 10 percent who said the risks outweigh the benefits, a share unchanged from before the pandemic. Uptake of the vaccine nationwide remains above 90 percent.
Nevertheless, the report documents deepening vaccine hesitancy in the United States — that is, the tendency of people to hold back out of suspicion, disinformation and anti-vaccine lobbying. This was evident in response to a question about whether healthy children should be vaccinated as a requirement for attending public school. A surprising 28 percent of those responding said parents should be able to decide not to vaccinate their children, up 12 points from four years ago. Shifts in views among Republicans is responsible for this change. In 2019, 79 percent of them said they supported requiring children to be vaccinated to attend public schools; that has shrunk to 57 percent. By contrast, there is “no meaningful change” in the 85 percent of Democrats who support such a requirement. Also unsettling, White evangelical Protestants backed such school requirements by 77 percent to 20 percent four years ago, but in the latest survey, the support was 58 percent to 40 percent.
The survey also highlights enduring skepticism about coronavirus vaccines. Fewer than half of U.S. adults believe the preventive health benefits of coronavirus vaccines are high, while 7 in 10 hold this view of the childhood measles vaccines, the survey said.
Measles spreads when an infected person coughs or sneezes. It can cause serious complications and death, especially among children. A major outbreak occurred in the United States in 2019, and another last year in Columbus, Ohio, caused largely by unvaccinated children. But for the most part, outbreaks have been sporadic in the United States. The rest of the world has suffered more disease because the pandemic disrupted many childhood immunization campaigns.
Even so, the United States is facing a tide of uncertainty that is unwarranted by the lifesaving performance of vaccines during the pandemic. The solution is to counter the disinformation and to realize that anti-vaccine statements on social media, in particular, can be extremely harmful and misleading. Public health officials were slow to mount a response during the coronavirus pandemic; rapid and forceful communication should be a key public health tool and one also used on the front lines of medicine. There is high value in the message coming from family doctors. The Pew survey highlights the public’s continuing trust in information from a doctor or other health-care provider about vaccines. These clinicians can play a major role in fending off the shadowy doubts and unfounded suspicions, if they speak up forcefully, early and often.
The Washington Post (archive.ph)
By The Editorial Board
2023-05-17 23:16:42GMT
A nurse prepares a coronavirus vaccine dose at the Ward 4 D.C. Covid Center on March 31. (Eric Lee for The Washington Post)
Measles was declared eliminated in the United States in 2000, and the credit goes to parents who, year after year, brought their children to get measles, mumps and rubella vaccinations. When enough children are vaccinated, say 90 percent or more in a school or community, they reach herd immunity, and the highly contagious measles virus has nowhere to go. Now, a new public opinion survey of attitudes toward childhood vaccines suggests most parents will continue this essential practice — but there is reason to worry about growing skepticism of lifesaving medications.
The survey by the Pew Research Center of 10,701 U.S. adults conducted between March 13 to 19, published Tuesday, found that Americans “remain steadfast in their belief in the overall value of childhood vaccines,” with no change over four years “in the large majority who say the benefits of childhood vaccines for measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) outweigh the risks.” This view was endorsed by 88 percent of those questioned, compared with just 10 percent who said the risks outweigh the benefits, a share unchanged from before the pandemic. Uptake of the vaccine nationwide remains above 90 percent.
Nevertheless, the report documents deepening vaccine hesitancy in the United States — that is, the tendency of people to hold back out of suspicion, disinformation and anti-vaccine lobbying. This was evident in response to a question about whether healthy children should be vaccinated as a requirement for attending public school. A surprising 28 percent of those responding said parents should be able to decide not to vaccinate their children, up 12 points from four years ago. Shifts in views among Republicans is responsible for this change. In 2019, 79 percent of them said they supported requiring children to be vaccinated to attend public schools; that has shrunk to 57 percent. By contrast, there is “no meaningful change” in the 85 percent of Democrats who support such a requirement. Also unsettling, White evangelical Protestants backed such school requirements by 77 percent to 20 percent four years ago, but in the latest survey, the support was 58 percent to 40 percent.
The survey also highlights enduring skepticism about coronavirus vaccines. Fewer than half of U.S. adults believe the preventive health benefits of coronavirus vaccines are high, while 7 in 10 hold this view of the childhood measles vaccines, the survey said.
Measles spreads when an infected person coughs or sneezes. It can cause serious complications and death, especially among children. A major outbreak occurred in the United States in 2019, and another last year in Columbus, Ohio, caused largely by unvaccinated children. But for the most part, outbreaks have been sporadic in the United States. The rest of the world has suffered more disease because the pandemic disrupted many childhood immunization campaigns.
Even so, the United States is facing a tide of uncertainty that is unwarranted by the lifesaving performance of vaccines during the pandemic. The solution is to counter the disinformation and to realize that anti-vaccine statements on social media, in particular, can be extremely harmful and misleading. Public health officials were slow to mount a response during the coronavirus pandemic; rapid and forceful communication should be a key public health tool and one also used on the front lines of medicine. There is high value in the message coming from family doctors. The Pew survey highlights the public’s continuing trust in information from a doctor or other health-care provider about vaccines. These clinicians can play a major role in fending off the shadowy doubts and unfounded suspicions, if they speak up forcefully, early and often.
