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General Overview:
Despite the volumes upon volumes of scientific studies that show there is no
link between vaccines and autism, some segments of society refuse to
believe the scientific research and continue to blame many ailments on the
administration of vaccines. The anti-vaccine (anti-vax) proponents disregard
over 100 years of success in combating life-threatening diseases and focus
on the development of rare conditions, such as autism, that inflict a very
small percentage of the population.
With a well-established vaccination program, the United States has virtually
wiped out once common diseases such as polio (poliomyelitis), measles
(rubeola), rubella (German measles), and mumps while severely limiting the
contraction and spread of other diseases like tetanus and pertussis (cdc.gov,
Figure 1). Contracting any one of the aforementioned viruses could lead to
a variety of ailments from a simple fever to permanent disabilities including
loss of hearing, brain-swelling, and even death.
Polio is a highly infectious virus that spreads quickly and is most common in
young children (who.int). Once in the body, the polio virus can move into the
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Mumps is a virus that is spread through saliva or mucus. If the virus moves
into the nervous system, encephalitis (swelling of the brain), meningitis
(swelling of spinal cord and brain tissue), and deafness can occur (cdc.gov).
When the mumps vaccination program began in 1967, approximately
186,000 cases were reported each year (cdc.gov). In 2012, only 229 cases
were reported in the US, but outbreaks in 2014 and 2015 have seen numbers
back to 1,000-1,200 in those years (cdc.gov). The mumps vaccine, as with
most other vaccines, becomes more effective when multiple doses are
administered (who.int).
The timing, amount per dose, and number of doses of a vaccine are
thoroughly studied by health professionals to maximize efficacy and prevent
disease. Anti-vax groups point to the increase in doses of vaccines and
attempt to correlate the increase in doses with the rise of autism
(historyofvaccines.org). However, scientific researchers have yet to find any
direct causal relationship between increasing doses of vaccine and autism
(cdc.gov).
Autism Spectrum Disorder, more commonly known as autism or ASD, is a
group of developmental disabilities that are not well understood (cdc.gov).
Approximately one in 68 children will be diagnosed with some form of ASD
(cdc.gov, Figure 4). Autism rates in United States have been steadily
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Background:
The anti-vax movement is not new. Many anti-vax organizations were active
during the late 1800s and early 1900s. One such organization, the Anti-
school and home visits) worked well, but only among certain populations
(cdc.gov). The AFIX (Assessment, Feedback, Incentives, eXchange) program
uses grants from states and other programs to improve vaccination rates by
working with doctors, government, and nongovernmental organizations that
work to vaccinate the public. The AFIX program also works to remind patients
of when the next vaccination in a series is due.
only 10% of children were vaccinated. The same year, a pertussis outbreak
infected more than 13,000 people and killed 41 (cdc.gov). Just because a
disease is well controlled, doesnt mean it wont reemerge.
A 2013 Pew Research Center survey shows that 89% of internet users from
18-29 use some form of social media (pewinternet.org). Of that social media
use, 71% use Facebook (Figure 7). The current generation of 18-29 year
olds have never had to deal with massive disease outbreaks. Polio, measles,
mumps, and rubella have virtually been eradicated in the United States for
decades. Not having been impacted by the effects of contracting a common
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disease probably leads the 18-29 year olds to believe that vaccinating is not
important.
Available Resources
While some celebrities have spoken out against vaccines, other celebrities
are very active in speaking out in support of vaccines. Microsoft founder Bill
Gates and his wife Melinda are very active in the vaccine debate. Likewise,
Mark Zuckerberg, CEO and founder of Facebook, has demonstrated his
support of vaccines by posting pictures of his baby getting vaccinated and
recommending books that promote childhood vaccination (facebook.com).
In some areas where vaccine rates are dropping, recent legislation has
removed personal choice options to decline vaccines (time.com). Using
legislation to improve vaccination rates and remove opt out options could
lead to a higher vaccination rate in the US (Figure 8).
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Expanding the AFIX program and including a social media campaign element
could allow the CDC to reach an even larger audience with a pro-vaccination
message. Modeling the social media campaign to be similar to other types of
national health campaigns (such as the smoking cessation campaigns) could
be a valuable way to get pro-vaccination images and messages to large
audiences.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has launched a World Immunization
Week. Every year in April, the WHO supports immunization efforts around the
world through education and vaccine administration. Using WHO material as
well as CDC information to educate the target audience through social media
can help to drown out anti-vax voices and help people make more
informed decisions.
Funding Sources
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Money from government grants would be the main source of funding for the
communication. The CDC National Center for Immunization and Respiratory
Diseases (NCIRD) provides grants and works with entities, both public and
private, that seek to increase immunization rates. The CDC also uses
government funds to buy vaccines and distribute them where they are
needed.
Nongovernmental organizations (NGO) that provide funding for vaccine work
are typically funded by government grants. The NGOs typically take the
money and use it on their own projects, but they may also make some funds
available to other groups and individuals to further vaccination awareness
and increase vaccination rates.
Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, also provides funds for new vaccination
dissemination. New vaccine programs can be expensive to get started and
Gavi funds activities associated with nascent programs. Gavi also provides
support for pre-vaccine launch programs.
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation provides funds for public health
programs in underdeveloped countries. While most of their work is outside of
the US, focusing vaccination efforts on countries with high numbers of
emigrants to the United States could reduce the overall number of nonvaccinated people in America.
The 317 Coalition supports children vaccinations and uses funds from the
CDC for vaccine studies, disease surveillance, outbreak detection, and
education programs.
The International Society for Infectious Diseases provides money for adult
vaccinations. While the majority of focus is on childrens vaccinations, adults
that were not vaccinated as children can still benefit from vaccination even
after they are grown.
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Summary
Vaccination rates in the United States are decreasing. Celebrities and
uninformed internet mouthpieces are spreading false information about
vaccines and the so-called dangers of vaccinating children. While there are a
number of programs that support vaccination efforts, the anti-vax population
tends to be highly vocal although the best they can do is to provide weak or
falsified data to support their claims. Spreading a pro-vaccination message
among younger people that have less experience with terrifying diseases is
necessary to reverse the declining vaccination trend.
The benefits of universal vaccination include a lower childhood mortality
rate, reduced frequency of outbreaks, and possibly even annihilation of
certain communicable diseases altogether. When people dont get
vaccinated, if they contract the disease, its too late. Getting vaccinated
prevents infection and propagation of disease.
Working with programs that are already in place, creating and distributing
messages will resonate with a generation of young adults that will help
young people understand why vaccinating is necessary and what can happen
if children arent vaccinated. Educating people about the dangers of not
vaccinating on a mainstream platform could help eradicate these serious
diseases once and for all.
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