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Rockland County, New York, has been hit hard by the measles outbreak. This did not stop anti-vaccination groups from holding a rally in the region on Monday night that drew hundreds of participants, mostly ultra-Orthodox Jews.
The "Vaccine Symposium" was sponsored by a Jewish group based in Monsey, New York. Participants discussed religious beliefs and pseudoscience that they felt refuted the effectiveness of vaccines.
Despite the outbreak of measles – it has reached a record of more than 800 cases in the country, 75 new cases were reported this week in New York, since the disease was declared eliminated in 2000 – participants filled the room Prom where the event took place, according to the newspaper. New York Times.
Guest speakers included Andrew Wakefield, whose widely refuted study linking measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccines to autism helped to stimulate the modern anti-vaccine movement. In 2010, the United Kingdom withdrew Wakefield's medical license after finding him guilty of fraud and child abuse.
According to the New York Times, the measles epidemic in New York, which is the worst in the country, began in ultra-Orthodox communities in October, after unvaccinated children contracted measles during the first half of the year. a trip to Israel. The majority of cases in the city were registered among ultra-Orthodox Jews, although many vaccinate their children.
As Julia Belluz of Vox reported in October, anti-vaccination rhetoric is taking root for reasons that have nothing to do with religious doctrine. But "the fact that some Orthodox Jews live outside the mainstream, avoid technology and hold the rabbi's opinion in high esteem can make them particularly vulnerable to anti-vaxxers," she wrote.
Rabbi Hillel Handler, one of the most prominent ultra-Orthodox anti-vaxxers, said at Monday's rally that Jews in New York had been "demonized." very sneaky, "he said because of his actions targeting Jews during the epidemic.
Despite outbreaks of measles, the rally shows that the anti-vaccine movement is resilient. On Tuesday, hundreds of people gathered in front of the state capital of New York to protest a bill banning religious exemptions for mandatory vaccinations. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. spoke at the rally with a crowd of mothers encouraging him, despite criticism from his family for spreading misinformation.
Technology companies are trying to suppress the anti-vaccination movement. If you are looking for content related to vaccination on Twitter, the app displays a statement from the US Department of Health and Human Services at the top of the search results. Instagram has also blocked hashtags that spread misinformation.
It remains to be seen if this is enough to stop a movement considered as a public health crisis. A particular challenge is to fight against misinformation in tight or island communities, who may attend a rally but not see the hashtags on Twitter. The group often shares the same culture and disinformation circulates within the community, which will help it to justify its anti-vaccination beliefs.
Contacts with the government often arouse mistrust, further isolating the community from truthful information. In order to progress with such groups, leaders must approach them in a transparent and empathic way, Douglas Opel, a professor of pediatrics at the University of Washington's School of Medicine, told The Wall Street Journal.
Monday's rally shows how big this challenge is.
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