How do we combat the anti-vaxxers?

A spike in the number of measles cases in America has been blamed on the anti-vaccination movement, but why – when science has proved that vaccination is safe – are anti-vaxxers given the time of day and how can we counteract their arguments? New York, California and Texas have experienced a rise in the number of cases of measles, and spates have also been recorded in European countries in recent months. But it’s not just measles which is experiencing a resurgence; cases of mumps and whooping cough are also on the rise. Their reappearance can be attributed to falling vaccination rates. Only 80% of children in the UK and 90% of children in America have received the MMR vaccination. So why are parents against vaccination? Religious beliefs or an allergy to one of the vaccines’ ingredients could rule a child out. But there is another, much more dangerous reason; parents are ignoring overwhelming medical evidence refusing to have their children vaccinated on the ground that vaccines can cause harm. This belief stems from work by Andrew Wakefield in which he raised concerns about the safety of the Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) vaccination. His arguments were so compelling that even some with a solid scientific background questioned whether to vaccinate their children. Even though Wakefield’s claims were proven to be unsubstantiated and he was removed from the medical register, his legacy lives on. He now lives in the US and tours the country speaking on his theories to thousands of anti-vaxxers. Jenny McCarthy is a prominent anti-vaccination mouthpiece; since 2005, when her son was diagnosed with autism, she has publicly suggested that his condition was triggered by vaccinations. She also claimed to have cured her son’s neurological condition – which is likely to have begun before birth – with a gluten-free diet. So who is Jenny McCarthy: a medical doctor, a scientist, a politician? No, she is a former Playboy model, comedienne and actress. McCarthy – and other celebrities who have adopted a similar position – have received much criticism; and rightly so. Why is her opinion being taken as truth when the evidence proves vaccines are safe? Interestingly McCarthy is now backtracking saying she was never anti-vaccination, rather pro safer vaccines, but it’s too late; the damage has been done. The anti-vaccine movement has planted a seed of doubt in the minds of parents which has blossomed into a strong distrust in the MMR jab and vaccination in general. I can understand why; the thought of being injected with a live – albeit weakened – virus seems ludicrous, especially when the safety of a child is taken into consideration. But vaccines are safe, and through inoculation in early childhood we are priming our bodies to produce protective antibodies well into our twilight years. We are protecting our children – and ourselves – from illnesses which would have severely incapacitated – if not killed – many in our family tree even 100 years ago. So what is the key to combating these anti-vaccination lobbyists and how do we boost vaccination rates? Scientific evidence appears not be enough. Maybe we should consider mandatory vaccination. Croatia and Slovenia introduced compulsory vaccination for 12-month-olds in 1968, and adopted the MMR jab in 1976 and 1990 respectively. Slovenia was completely free of measles for 10 years before a small outbreak in 2010, while Croatia was free of mumps bar 18 cases in 2008. In March, Croatia surpassed the US and much of Western Europe when a constitutional court upheld the requirement for children to be vaccinated for hepatitis, measles, whooping cough and diphtheria – irrespective of the parents’ views. Roughly translated in The Daily Beast, the court said: “The child’s right to health is more than the rights of the parents to the (wrong) choice.” Maybe unvaccinated children should be excluded from school, although this seems to punish the child more than the parents. But perhaps governments should simply do more to dispel the myths spread by anti-vaxxers and educate parents on vaccination. The bad PR generated by the anti-vaccination movement could be combatted with pro-vaccination celebrities and popular science. Penn and Teller have done an excellent video against anti-vaccination, I F***ing Love Science has a great infographic of the damage caused by the movement and I’m sure there are many other positive efforts to counteract the quackery spouted by celebrity ambassadors with no medical training.