Sajila Nudrat | Health Editor
Featured Image: Health experts say vaccines are safe, and education favours vaccination. | Courtesy of Pexels
According to the World Health Organization, “vaccine hesitancy” is one of the biggest health threats of 2019. British Columbia is currently in the midst of a measles outbreak. Facebook is fighting anti-vaxx distribution on their platform, and Toronto is removing billboards supporting the movement. Anti-vaccination rhetoric is on the rise, and it begs the question: why?
In an article published in a medical journal—the article has since been discredited, with the author losing his medical license—a link between certain vaccinations (including measles) and autism was published. That same paper is still being used today as evidence to support anti-vaxx sentiments.
In a 2017 survey for Health Canada, one in three parents expressed some form of concern when it came to vaccination. One in 10 has refused or delayed vaccines for their kids. Currently, Vancouver is dealing with a measles outbreak in schools which have low vaccination rates.
“I think it’s good to have an opinion, however I believe that most of them have never seen the effects of not vaccinating kids, from whooping cough to measles. Immunology is all about crowd immunity—if one of them falls, they all do. So they should be educated properly through awareness campaigns,” Shayandeep Das, a second-year health studies student, says.
He believes it’s important to vaccinate because, “it not only protects your child from dying a gruesome death, it prevents long term disabilities like polio paralysis, and saves humanity from devastating epidemics.”
When asked what factors he thinks contribute to people choosing not to vaccinate, he said: “Low awareness level, low knowledge about vaccination and immunology, and misunderstanding how herd immunity works. Confusion about allergic reactions, and so on and so forth.”
As a health major, in regards to vaccination, Das is taught about its functions, mechanics, importance, and why people may hate or love it. Regardless of where people fall on the spectrum, Das advocates for people to vaccinate themselves and their children.
