diana pressey

Part one of a series on the anti-vaccination movement and what can be done to combat it.

One of the most ironic and unfortunate aspects of the Information Age is the tendency of misinformation to spread—similarly to the diseases it promotes, in the case of the anti-vax movement.

I attribute a lot of misinformation spreading to people’s decreased attention spans, in part thanks to the Internet. When everyone seeks instant gratification, they’re less likely to read anything longer than a headline. Chances of the general public reading academic and scientific content is especially slim (that it’s not usually the most compelling doesn’t help matters). And people are more likely to believe sensationalized statements without thinking critically about sources.

The Internet has created echo chambers of misinformation

From QAnon to the revival of the anti-vaccination movement, cult-level movements that reject science and fact are flourishing. Social media facilitates a cycle of confirmation bias, as platforms’ algorithms make it all too easy to stay insulated in echo chambers that reinforce users’ beliefs. It’s in this kind of setting that propaganda and pseudoscience thrive.

People don’t just believe in conspiracy theories and anti-science; they cling to them. It seems nearly impossible to break through the wall of misinformation. But I believe there’s a way.

Zeroing in on the anti-vax movement—“emotional contagion, digitally enabled”

Of the two movements I mentioned earlier, I’m going to focus on anti-vaxxers. After all, QAnon is rooted in the idea that Donald Trump is in complete control of everything, heroically orchestrating every event that paints him in a negative light to achieve some altruistic end (exposing Barack Obama as a pedophile, for instance). QAnon believers are so deep in absurd conspiracy theory hell that civil, logical discourse might just be beyond them.

The anti-vax movement is far more pressing of an issue. To say that it’s harming public health is a massive understatement. The World Health Organization has named it one of the top 10 dangers to global health.

Vaccinations have prevented over 100 million cases of contagious diseases. Yet nearly third of American babies don’t receive all recommended vaccinations. Since 2001, the fraction of unvaccinated kids has quadrupled, according to the CDC.

Anti-vaxxers endanger children and the immunocompromised. They’ve already brought back four diseases in the U.S. that everyone had basically forgotten about, thanks to vaccines. In 2019, there have been hundreds of confirmed measle cases in 19 different states. And it’s even worse in Europe.

To combat the anti-vax movement, we must first understand its proponents

Anti-vaxxers are largely parents who are misinformed on the dangers of vaccines and don’t vaccinate their kids as a result. These kids, who often have no say in the matter, are then more likely to contract illnesses such as measles, mumps, whooping cough, and chicken pox.

One teenager decided to have a say in the matter, making headlines by defying his anti-vax mother and telling the world that she absorbs misinformation from Facebook. In turn, Facebook—perhaps instructed by its PR team?—is now cracking down on anti-vax groups.

But anyone who’s ever read Facebook comment sections will know that this is not a solution; it’s a Band-Aid. All it’ll do is improve Facebook’s reputation. People affected will simply complain that the platform is suppressing free speech before getting clever as they work around the algorithm. When all else fails, they’ll simply migrate to other corners of the Internet. They’ve been around for centuries, after all.

Understanding context: The history of the anti-vax movement

Let’s just start in the 1800s, because going farther back than that seems unnecessary. In 1853, England passed the Vaccination Act, requiring vaccinations of infants. This led to protests and the formation of the Anti-Vaccination League (great). The Brits then brought anti-vax sentiment to the U.S. (THANKS EVER SO MUCH) in 1885. I’d make a joke in poor taste about colonialism, but the U.S. is far from innocent in that respect.

In the 1900s, the anti-vax movement continued to grow, fueled further by the terrible Cutter Incident in Berkeley, CA, when scientists accidentally produced 120,000 doses of a polio vaccine containing live viruses in addition to inactivated ones. This led to 40,000 polio cases, 53 paralysis cases, and 5 deaths.

In 1974 England, a report alleging that the DTP vaccine (Diphtheria, Tetanus, and Pertussis, or whooping cough) caused neurological issues in children led to a decrease in vaccination rates and three whooping cough epidemics. And from 1979 to 1996, Sweden suspended whooping cough vaccination, causing 60% of its kids to contract the illness.

The myth that vaccines cause autism began in England, too (WHY?!), with a doctor who published a 1998 study linking it with the Measles, Mumps, and Rubella vaccine. The paper has been debunked and retracted, but the myth has prevailed. And celebrities like Jenny McCarthy certainly haven’t helped.

That same year, the “Green Our Vaccines” movement began in the U.S., with people protesting the inclusion of thimerosal, a compound containing mercury, in vaccines. Despite no evidence of harmful side effects, the CDC capitulated to public pressure and recommended a decrease in the preservative’s use. Autism rates have still climbed even with the removal of this compound, so now anti-vaxxers have begun blaming mercury, pointing to pseudoscientific studies as evidence.

In the U.S., vaccines eliminated measles by the year 2000. In 2013, measles made a comeback. And in 2015, someone died from a case of measles for the first time in 12 years.

The anti-vax movement isn’t just a problem affecting individual children; it’s a major threat to public health. We need to combat it, but countering it will only work if the strategy is non-combative. I believe communication is key.

Read part two of the series here.