Vaccination reversal: measles appears as activists straddle populist mistrust of government

Today, this anti-government feeling of control "continues to be a common thread in the anti-vaccine movement – particularly in this time of mistrust of the government," Professor Heidi Larson, Director of Vaccine Confidence Project of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, told CNN.

Larson said that populism and the anti-vaccination movement were "totally connected," adding that it was a "symptom" of "underlying mistrust" in the establishment. .

"Vaccination is one of the most cost-effective ways to prevent the disease." It currently prevents 2 to 3 million deaths a year and 1.5 million more could be prevented if global vaccination coverage was improved, "said WHO.

But hesitation about vaccines, or reluctance or refusal to vaccinate despite the availability of vaccines, "threatens to undermine progress in fighting vaccine-preventable diseases."

This trend has been observed in a growing number of anti-vaccine groups in the United States and some European countries.

The vaccination of Italy makes a U-turn

Last August, the Italian populist government shocked the scientific and medical community after the removal of mandatory vaccination for schoolchildren.

The ANSA news agency reported that the head of the League and Interior Minister, Matteo Salvini, had declared in June 2018 that the 10 mandatory vaccines – including measles, tetanus and polio – were "useless and in many cases dangerous or even harmful".

The law had been introduced for the first time by the Democratic Party a month earlier, against the backdrop of an ongoing measles epidemic, which recorded 5,004 cases in 2017, the second highest figure in the world. Europe after Romania, according to the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control. Italy accounts for 34% of all measles cases reported by countries in the European Economic Area, the center said.

"Italy is part of a global trend of mistrust of mediators – doctors and scientists – who can interpret and explain data," said Andrea Grignolio, who teaches the history of medicine and bioethics at La Sapienza University in Rome.

"With the advent of the Internet, people have the illusion that they can access and read data themselves, thus eliminating the need for technical and scientific knowledge."

Experts say the origins of Italy's recent anti-vaccine movement can be traced back to a 2012 court ruling linking autism to combined vaccination against measles, mumps and rubella. Although this decision was rescinded three years later, it has contributed to the spread of anti-vaccination theories in the country and around the world.

"Science" debunked

In the United States, actors Jim Carrey and Jenny McCarthy, who claimed they believed the vaccines could have contributed to McCarthy's son's autism, have amplified this resurgence of anti-vaccines, as well as renowned celebrities such as the mogul of real estate and reality. TV star, Donald Trump.

A report published by the CDC in October indicated that while the coverage of a number of vaccines "remained globally high and stable", the unvaccinated segment of children under 2 years old had risen from 0.9% for those born in 2011 to 1.3% for those born in 2015. In 2001, only 0.3% of children aged 19 to 35 months had not received any dose of vaccine.

According to the WHO, this increase in the number of unvaccinated children has been found globally thanks to data on measles outbreaks over the past year.

The preliminary number of measles cases reported to WHO headquarters, in 183 countries, showed an increase of nearly 50% of cases in mid-January 2019 compared to that date in 2018.

According to Katrina Kretsinger of the WHO Immunization Program, measles cases have globally declined until 2016 in the world. But since 2017, this number has exploded, she said, noting that this number included rich countries where, historically, vaccination rates were high.

"We have epidemics that last, which are significant and increasing," said Kretsinger at a conference this week. "This is not an isolated problem."

While parents may choose not to vaccinate their children for many reasons, the reason the anti-vaccination movement has spread so prolificly has one common denominator: social media.

The amplification of a message

The growth and diversification of social media platforms have propelled anti-vaccination rhetoric into society.

David R. Curry, executive director of the Center for Ethics and Vaccine Policy, told CNN that hesitation over vaccines, or anti-vaccine initiatives, was increasingly able to Use highly effective and highly effective social media platforms to spread their message.

"We probably see it as the main way to spread arguments that are not fact-based and that are frankly destructive to public health," said Curry, pointing out that social media has allowed the spread of rhetoric anti-vaccine in countries where, historically, confidence in vaccines has been high.

"The problems we are seeing are that we do not have an effective set of remedial measures with sufficient resources to deal with this threat and we see this as a major problem," he added.

In these Facebook groups, the boundaries between political rhetoric and health concerns fade. And while many of these networks may feel like a small, united community, they are not immune to foreign interference.

"One of the weird things about them, is that they've tried – or they seemed to be trying to – to link vaccines to the issues raised in the American discourse, such as racial disparities or racism. Class disparities that are not traditionally associated with vaccination, "senior author David Broniatowski, an assistant professor at the University of George Washington University's Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science, said.

repulsive

Critics are now calling on high-tech companies such as Facebook, YouTube and Google to take greater responsibility for the public health disruption on their platforms, saying social media can not deliberately ignore taking significant responsibility for content. of their sites.

"If an affected parent consistently views information in the newsfeed that casts doubt on the safety or effectiveness of the vaccine, it could lead them to disregard the advice of their children's doctors and medical experts. public health and not following the recommended vaccination schedule, "said Schiff. . "Repetition of information, even if they are false, can often be confused with accuracy, and exposure to anti-vaccine content via social media can negatively affect the attitude users with regard to vaccination. "

While technology companies are increasingly criticized for hosting some of these groups, some people most affected by the anti-vaccine movement have turned to social media for help.

Ethan Lindenberger, an Ohio teenager, grew up thinking that it was normal not to be vaccinated. Last November, he wrote on a very popular post at Reddit that "my parents think vaccines are a kind of government program."

But he did not agree with his parents, telling CNN this week that he wanted to protect others as much as himself against diseases.

"Of course, it scares me a bit, but I will try to do my best to convince my parents that they should do it and hope it works," he said.