Effects Of The Internet On People 's Opinions About Vaccinations

For years there has been public controversies over the advancements in science and all of the health risks that have been around, but now the use of the media has certainly boosted the amount of confusion throughout the public. Frightening stories regarding the progressions of science have been appearing online and in print. One particular example of this issue was the MMR vaccine debate. The MMR vaccine is an immunization vaccine which fights against rubella, measles, and mumps. During the 1990’s the media played a huge role in the decisions parents made regarding whether or not they allowed their children to get vaccinated. The media portrayed the MMR vaccine as having a possible link between autism. Which left the public worried about the MMR vaccine and having conflicting views and feelings towards the safety of vaccinations. In the MMR vaccine debate scientist and the media played two different roles which helped citizens make decisions regarding vaccination.

Although the negative claims behind anti-immunization stances are deceptive and discredited, some parents find it difficult to accept that vaccines are necessary and safe. Many of these reasons are due to personal or religious beliefs that have persuaded parents to bypass immunizations for their children. Consequently, health officials are seeing disquieting rises of diseases that are easily preventable. The CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) has reported hundreds of measles cases in the United States in 2011, the largest number in 15 years (Ben-Joseph, Elana). Essentially, almost all of these cases were in individuals who had not received a vaccine shot. Also found in the article was that a great amount of the quarrel over the shots comes from a 1998 study that tried to connect autism to a type of vaccine that defends against measles. However, there has been no scientific evidence that a vaccine or a combination of any of the shots induces autism. Undoubtedly, the doctor that wrote the article, calling vaccines a “deliberate fraud” ,lost his license for not submitting any evidence of his claim and causing people to neglect shots for that year. Sadly, due to that article, 1 in 4 parents still believe that vaccines are

Every year, tens of thousands Americans die from the seasonal flu alone. This alarming statistic is what led the United States government to urge the country to vaccinate themselves, as well as their children every November, when the flu season is fast approaching. Though countless Americans do follow the government’s plea, many others insist that these vaccines distributed every year (as well as other year-long vaccines) contain an abnormally high amount of thimerosal, (a mercury-based chemical in vaccines designed to prevent the growth of bacteria) which could eventually lead to autism. This generation of fear is what has led many concerned parents to refuse to vaccinate their children, who seem to be the most vulnerable to this disease.

Although the arguments against vaccines have remained consistent for over two centuries, the ways in which information is disseminated to the public through media has changed. Technological advancements of the internet and social media have allowed everyone quick and easy access to anti-vaccination propaganda. These false messages can negatively influence parental attitudes and beliefs regarding vaccines (LA County Department of Public Health, 2015). Currently, most women of child-bearing age who will be making vaccination decisions for their children are Millennials - a term used to describe those born between 1980 and the early 2000s. Millennials are less inclined than older generations to vaccinate their children. This can mainly be attributed to their utilization of readily available health information regarding vaccines from the media and internet rather than asking and trusting a doctor. For example, a recent study shows that 70 percent of people are influenced by what they read on the internet regarding vaccination information (Kata, 2012). This is a dangerous way to form opinions about health and vaccination, as the information on social media is not scientific, can be created by anyone, and lacks

Nonetheless, due to the new social media sites spreading and intensifying the already established decades of perceived negative health effects and widespread misinformation, the overall conversation regarding the issue has only continued to grow, and vaccines are still scrutinized greatly within public contention. With these new social media sites, a new kind of panic has grown, as Mark Largent, a professor at Michigan State University, addresses these issues in his novel, “Keep Out of Reach of Children.” He recognizes in his work that a part of the main arguments against vaccines are due to religious or philosophical reasons, or that they are unsafe. Parents argue that vaccines could potentially cause autism, other health defects, and could lead to the harm for their children (Navin). However, he quickly rejects the idea and

Vaccination is a complex topic that has proven to be so contentious that most people have decided that they either support vaccination or oppose it, with neither side willing to even entertain the idea of meeting in the middle or finding common ground. On one side, those who oppose vaccinations do so for a variety of reasons, but most of all they do so because they think vaccines are dangerous or ineffective. Many of the opposed defend their anti-vaccination position by citing studies linking vaccines to autism and other debilitating side effects, or by voicing concerns over vaccines containing unsafe ingredients that may harm vaccinated children. Also questioned is the effectiveness of vaccines, if they are even needed, or even why vaccinating matters if those who are vaccinated are so confident that vaccinations work. On the other side of the fence, the people who support vaccinations believe that, due to the benefits of vaccines far outweighing any associated risks,

In December of 2014, an outbreak of measles, which started in Disneyland, resulted in nearly two hundred people being sickened across the United States, Mexico, and Canada. The highly contagious respiratory disease spread for three months. Among those who contracted the illness, one developed severe pneumonia and multiple organ injury, while another suffered acute respiratory distress syndrome. So, why did an illness, which was purportedly eliminated sixteen years ago, experience a surge so dramatic that it caused more cases in 2014 than in the five preceding years combined? According to the CDC, the outbreak could be boiled down to one simple reason: “The majority of people were unvaccinated.” So while the California measles outbreak is a thing of the past, the fight to increase compliance with vaccinations continues. Although the benefits and safety of vaccinations are undisputed by the medical and scientific community, there are still sizeable groups of “anti-vaxxers” who refuse to vaccinate their children. These groups spread misconceptions, sometimes unknowingly, and become even more influential when coupled with the power of the internet and social media. Therefore, in order to increase compliance with routine vaccinations, the misconceptions of parents should be targeted, and legislation should be changed in order to prevent leniency and loopholes regarding vaccine exemptions.

The current issue I have selected to discuss is vaccinations. In particular, I will be addressing the anti-vaccination movement that has gained popularity in recent years and the contributing biases that influenced its emergence. One event stands out at as a major contributing factor to the growth of the anti-vaccination movement, the 1998 study by Andrew Wakefield that was published by the English medical journal, Lancet. This study claimed to show a connection between the MMR vaccine and autism. Even though it was just one small study, the media picked it up and it became hugely publicized.

In their informational article “Thimerosal in Vaccines”, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) analyzes

The first question we need to examine is why should vaccinations be required? There are strong beliefs that children should be vaccinated surrounding public health and mortality. In the article, Understanding Public Perceptions of

The intended purpose of this presentation is to provide facts and scientific research that persuades the audience members regarding the use of vaccinations. My intention is that the audience will support the use of vaccinations and consider the facts before making decisions that affect the entire community. My central idea is that inaccurate data exists with regards to vaccination; instead, that vaccinations should be viewed as essential for protection of society, both from extreme illness as well as life threatening, and sometimes fatal, diseases.

Wherever there is vaccination there is some number of people who oppose it. The first step to identifying a solution to a problem in understanding how it is caused. Public support for vaccinations had been at an all time high of 95%, before the anti-vaccine movement swept across the United States. The new anti-vaccine movement in the United States can be attributed to the wide use of technology to spread ideas,

Vaccination has been an important and effective way to combat vaccine preventable diseases in children. However, there are many children who do not receive all the APA recommended immunizations and vaccine hesitancy is now becoming increasingly common. Health care providers need to be aware of parents’ concerns regarding vaccines, so they can address fears and misperceptions in order to improve acceptance. Social media and the Internet are playing an increasing role in providing information about immunization. They have altered both the decision making process and the doctor-patient relationship. While the Internet may be responsible for fueling controversies related to immunization, it also providing new ways to combat vaccine hesitancy. Educational

Great Post, in terms of immunization, people have such a negative attitude toward vaccination. As practitioner, we must take time to explain the consequence of not receiving the vaccine. Some people need to see with their eyes the outcome of not accepting the HPV. Genital warts are a common (Sexual Transmitted Infection) STI caused by the (Human papillomavirus) HPV. There are 100 subtypes of HPV that infects basal skin cells known as wart. HPV are associated with subtypes (HPV 16, 18, 31, 45 and others). Cancerous warts may appear on the areas of anogenital, cervical, and penile area. Other neoplasms associated with HPV are Kaposi Sarcoma, Cervical, and adult T Cells Leukemia/ Lymphoma. About 50-60% affect HPV-16,

Many health care professionals consider vaccines as the most successful innovations in modern medicine. Medical professionals from around the world integrate immunizations into treating diseases and maintaining good health. For several generations, the Western civilization rarely experiences dangerous epidemics including measles, whooping cough, or polio. In the last decade, many parents made unfortunate decisions based on their personal and emotional experiences rather than scientific evidence. Parents hear various accounts from anti-vaccination websites about children who became drastically ill after being vaccinated. Anti-vaccination movement members also use word-of-mouth advertising to actively encourage parents not to vaccinate their