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Europe knows she has a vaccine problem – she just does not know how to solve it.
According to experts, a combination of deep-rooted social and political forces, including the rise of populism and the loss of trust in institutions, fuel the resurgence of infectious diseases in Europe.
While a new European survey reveals that nearly half of the European population believes that vaccines are counterfeit, Vice President of the European Commission Jyrki Katainen described the trend as "worrying" at a Press.
While measles is on the rise across the bloc, Brussels has taken a fragmented approach in trying to encourage countries to align their immunization schedules, combat misinformation and improve the availability of vaccines. vaccines.
Although people understand the importance of vaccines, according to the Eurobarometer survey released Friday, a majority of more than 16 countries says vaccines are often linked to serious side effects, and more than a third of them say that vaccines can cause the disease against which they protect themselves – both are false.
"We are dealing with complete belief systems about how the world works and the role of elites and experts around the world" – Jonathan Kennedy, lecturer at the university
All the while, politicians opposed to compulsory vaccination against groups opposed to compulsory vaccination and, in some cases, fueling fears about the dangers of beatings, continue to gain support.
"We do not deal with misconceptions about vaccines. We are dealing with complete belief systems about how the world works in general and about the role played by elites and experts around the world, "said Jonathan Kennedy, lecturer in global health at Queen Mary University's London, who followed the link. between the rise of populism and hesitation about vaccines.
"Unless these larger political and economic factors are dealt with, unless those people feel involved in society, then I think it's pretty hard to think of how their views can be. to be countered, "said Kennedy.
While governments, including France and Italy, celebrate the success of mandatory jab programs in increasing coverage rates, the survey says it is doing nothing to combat misinformation. In France, 60% of respondents mistakenly think that vaccines are often the cause of serious side effects, making it the fourth highest result among EU countries, behind Cyprus, Croatia and Malta.
While measles is on the rise across the bloc, Brussels has taken a scattered approach to try to encourage countries to align their immunization schedules, combat misinformation and improve the availability of vaccines. vaccines | Jasper Jacobs / AFP via Getty Images
Emilie Karafillakis, a researcher at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, who co-authored a report for the Commission on confidence in vaccines, said worries in France were linked to "general mistrust of health authorities" as well as cultural barriers such as the popularity of homeopaths who may not support immunization. She also highlighted the difficulties faced by parents wanting to vaccinate their children, but face challenges in managing the complexities of the health system.
After Paris increased the number of mandatory vaccinations in 2018, preliminary data from the Ministry of Health showed that vaccination rates had increased.
Members of the far-right National Gathering objected to this policy, saying that citizens should have the right to make their own decisions about health care.
In the UK, where public health policies for immunization have been firmly applied since the disgrace of British physician Andrew Wakefield, who links MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) with autism, 54% of people still think vaccines often cause serious side effects.
National Health Service chief Simon Stevens warned on Thursday that public rejection of vaccines is a "growing public health problem". time bomb"After a UNICEF study has registered more than 500,000 children in the UK has not received the measles Jab between 2010 and 2017.
Although experts disagree that the overall risk of measles is still low, European health authorities note that "major outbreaks with deaths are ongoing in countries that have previously eliminated or interrupted endemic transmission". Last year, more than 12,000 cases of measles were reported in the European Economic Area and significant increases in France, Poland, the Czech Republic, Belgium, Bulgaria and Ireland in 2019. Epidemics in Germany prompted the Health Ministry to promise a vaccination plan by May.
The fact that measles is so highly infectious means that it is usually the first contagious disease to occur in unvaccinated children.
Noise online
"There is growing evidence that some organizations are using the vaccine problem to sow distrust in democratic institutions," said Martin McKee, a professor of European public health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicines. A study in the United States revealed that Russian robots had sent pro and anti-vaccine messages to sow confusion ahead of the 2016 presidential election.
This amplifies a "problem of scientific culture in general" in Europe, said McKee.
While the majority of people turn to their doctors for information on vaccines, about 20% of those surveyed reported visiting websites and social media.
"One of the problems is that many of these messages are quite subliminal," said McKee. "It's all about creating a climate and people may not really know where they've seen anything, but there are so many floating around that it's changing the nature of the debate."
Social media has facilitated the spread of misinformation by people | Kirill Kudryavtsev / AFP via Getty Images
Platforms such as Facebook and YouTube facilitate the spread of "false information," said Raegan MacDonald, head of European public policy at Mozilla, at an event held in Brussels on Thursday.
Since the social media platforms » reason to be is to keep people engaged, "the most sensational content can and will become viral," said MacDonald. "It's how success is measured, not what's real, what's scientifically proven, what's solid information."
Several platforms have recently pledged to stop promoting anti-vaccine content and UK Health Secretary Matt Hanbad plans to meet social media companies this week to discuss how to end the spread of anti-vaccine content. anti-vaxx messages online.
Katainen said the Commission was also attentive, although its misinformation efforts have largely focused on the political messages for the European elections. The Commission is working on the development of an online information portal on vaccines with the European Medicines Agency and the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control, in order to "monitor online vaccination information, "said a spokesperson.
In the Czech Republic, only two-thirds of doctors say that measles vaccine is safe and only about three-quarters in Slovakia.
But Katainen also recognized that there was "no magic wand" or "simple way" to correct it.
According to the Eurobarometer survey, 65% of respondents said that their doctor was the most reliable source of information on vaccines, but a Commission study published last year showed that in many countries, doctors are not in communication either.
In the Czech Republic, only two-thirds of doctors say that measles vaccine is safe and only about three-quarters in Slovakia. In Italy and Estonia, about 20% of doctors disagreed that vaccines were compatible with religious beliefs; in Poland, this figure was around 30%.
Robb Butler, a social scientist working on vaccine demand for UNICEF, said he recently heard from a Swedish doctor complaining that medical students are only following a 40-minute training course on immunization and immunology, during the Brussels demonstration on Thursday.
"It's shocking," Butler said. "They are always our most reliable source of information, and we drop them early in their careers."
Sarah Wheaton contributed to the reports.
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