Pro-Vaccination Efforts May Be Scaring Wary Parents From Shots 482
Hugh Pickens DOT Com writes "Thomas Kienzle reports for the Associated Press on a study which found public health campaigns touting vaccines' effectiveness and debunking the links between autism and other health risks might actually be backfiring, and convincing parents to skip the shots for their kids. 'Corrections of misperceptions about controversial issues like vaccines may be counterproductive in some populations,' says Dr. Brendan Nyhan. 'The best response to false beliefs is not necessarily providing correct information.' In the study, researchers focused on the now-debunked idea that the vaccine for measles, mumps and rubella (or MMR) caused autism. Surveying 1,759 parents, researchers found that while they were able to teach parents that the vaccine and autism were not linked, parents who were surveyed who had initial reservations about vaccines said they were actually less likely to vaccinate their children after hearing the researchers messages. Researchers looked at four methods designed to counter the myth (PDF) that the MMR vaccine can cause autism. They gave people either information from health authorities about the lack of evidence for a connection, information about the danger of the three diseases the MMR vaccine protects against, pictures of children who had one of those three diseases, or a story about an infant who almost died from measles.
At the study's start, the group of parents who were most opposed to vaccination said that on average, the chance they would vaccinate a future child against MMR was 70 percent. After these parents had been given information that the MMR vaccine does not cause autism, they said, on average, the chance they would vaccinate a future child was only 45 percent — even though they also said they were now less likely to believe the vaccine could cause autism. Vaccination rates are currently high, so it's important that any strategies should focus on retaining these numbers and not raise more concerns, tipping parents who are willing to vaccinate away from doing so. 'We shouldn't put too much weight on the idea that there's some magic message out there that will change people's minds.'"
At the study's start, the group of parents who were most opposed to vaccination said that on average, the chance they would vaccinate a future child against MMR was 70 percent. After these parents had been given information that the MMR vaccine does not cause autism, they said, on average, the chance they would vaccinate a future child was only 45 percent — even though they also said they were now less likely to believe the vaccine could cause autism. Vaccination rates are currently high, so it's important that any strategies should focus on retaining these numbers and not raise more concerns, tipping parents who are willing to vaccinate away from doing so. 'We shouldn't put too much weight on the idea that there's some magic message out there that will change people's minds.'"
Re:Solution - Face-saving way out (Score:4, Informative)
Compelled vaccination would fall under implied power. Random fact of the day: ICE's jurisdiction is an implied power.
Here are the relevant parts of the constitution:
"Implied powers are which can reasonably be assumed to flow from express powers, though not explicitly mentioned. The legitimacy of these powers flows from the "General Welfare" clause in the Preamble, the "Necessary & Proper Clause", and the "Commerce Clause." " (Quote from Wikipedia)
Re:Flu Shots are Ruining Vaccinations (Score:4, Informative)
I'm sorry, but you're a fucking moron. There's really no polite way to put it. The flu is traditionally the most lethal contagious disease in world history; more people have been killed by it than pretty much anything else. That's because nasty variants trigger a cytokine storm which is a positive feedback loop where your body kills itself because it thinks something is killing it. Even worse, those storms are most dangerous in people with a strong immune system. That's right: the bad flus kill young, healthy people in much greater proportion than those with weak immune systems.
Go ahead and brag at how tough you are at resisting the flu. While doing so, pray to your god that you never get a bad one and join the ranks of millions who've died of it over the years.
Re:You would hope (Score:5, Informative)
And if I'm not vaccinated because I can't be vaccinated?
Who are you? Fucking Superman? Needles break against your skin?
Some people have compromised immune systems. Getting a live vaccine could be quite fatal for them. It has nothing to do with being a Superman that can't be penetrated by needles. This is your lesson for the day. Grab the clue and ride it for all it is worth!
Re:You would hope (Score:5, Informative)
Wow that's so much misinformation and tinfoil hat thinking in one place.
Ahhh.. so many of those that died from measles where probably vaccinated but it was not effective?
I'm not even sure what this means as you provide no information. I assume you mean recent outbreaks [wikipedia.org] in which the vast majority occurred because people had not been vaccinated.
So why get it when measles can be beaten with high dose vitamin A?
Again I'm not sure where your misinformation comes from but the WHO recommends high doses of vitamin A with the vaccine [who.int] to poorly nourished children in developing countries to kill two birds with one stone.
Don't they test these vaccines? Are there any in depth studies of the effectiveness of vaccines?
[Citation please for your misinformation] Decades [vaccines.gov] of research is easy to google btw.
How about Paul "Profit" Offit's poop vaccine?
Again you provide little information on what is in your mind. I can only assume you mean the rotavirus vaccine [wikipedia.org] which he spent 25 years developing. It saves many, many lives a day. For 25 years of research, he gets money from his invention. So what?
How much was that studied before it was rubber stamped as recommended while he was at the CDC?
Does a clinical trial of 70,000 [sfgate.com] count as rubber-stamping? Again so much misinformation.
http://childhealthsafety.wordpress.com/2011/04/23/offit-congressional-reprimand/
If that is your only source of information, I suggest you need to fact check it. For example, it wasn't a reprimand. It was a report. In it, he voted for rotavirus vaccines (and this important) that he did not develop. He abstained from voting for the one he did develop with Merck. As for the rest of the blog, misinformation and outright lies. For example, Hanah Poling's family was awarded money for encephalopathy [examiner.com] which is not due to a vaccine. The anti-vaccine crowd claims it was for autism but anyone reading the full report sees otherwise. Misinformation at best.
Pig Pharma is not to be trusted and that is why parents aren't getting their kids vaccinated.
So much bias and irrational thinking there. I assume that you also advice parents not to give children aspirin as well as they also make billions for the industry.
Vaccines are not a bad idea per se for some things, but there is very little ethics in the industry, and as past practices have come to light over the years it does not appear that there ever was any.
[Citation Please] Other than a blog from someone who is completely biased.