WEBVTT - Is Vaccine Hesitancy a New Phenomenon? 0:00:01.920 --> 0:00:04.320 Welcome to brain Stuff, a production of I Heart Radio, 0:00:06.120 --> 0:00:10.560 Hey brain Stuff, Lauren vog Obam. Here nobody likes to 0:00:10.600 --> 0:00:13.480 be sick, but it seems there are plenty of people 0:00:13.520 --> 0:00:15.640 who are willing to take a chance on a disease 0:00:15.760 --> 0:00:18.920 like COVID nineteen instead of getting a vaccine for it. 0:00:19.680 --> 0:00:23.600 Why is that and is this a new phenomenon? First, 0:00:23.680 --> 0:00:26.760 we have to understand the difference between vaccine hesitancy and 0:00:26.960 --> 0:00:32.320 anti vaccine activism, which is also called vaccine resistance. For 0:00:32.479 --> 0:00:34.800 the article this episode is based on How Stuff Works, 0:00:34.920 --> 0:00:38.360 spoke with Noel Brewer, PhD, a professor of health behavior 0:00:38.400 --> 0:00:42.840 at the University of North Carolina. He said vaccine hesitancy 0:00:42.960 --> 0:00:47.840 and anti vaccine activism are distinct and largely unrelated. Only 0:00:47.880 --> 0:00:51.160 around two percent of Americans will never get a vaccine, 0:00:51.520 --> 0:00:54.920 and among these hard refusers, only a handful attempt to 0:00:54.920 --> 0:00:59.480 recruit others to their views. By comparison, he says most 0:00:59.520 --> 0:01:02.720 people have at least some questions about vaccines, which is 0:01:02.840 --> 0:01:07.000 not a bad thing. Quote. Vaccine hesitancy is normal and 0:01:07.120 --> 0:01:10.560 healthy and should be encouraged. It's good to have questions, 0:01:10.760 --> 0:01:16.959 ask them and get high quality, trustworthy answers. The vocal 0:01:17.080 --> 0:01:20.480 anti vaccination movement is fairly recent and was really kicked 0:01:20.520 --> 0:01:24.600 into gear by a now discredited paper that appeared in 0:01:24.640 --> 0:01:30.280 the medical journal land Set, which falsely linked vaccines with autism. However, 0:01:30.480 --> 0:01:35.520 vaccine hesitancy is as old as vaccines themselves. How Stuff 0:01:35.520 --> 0:01:38.600 Works also spoke with Dr Katherine Edwards, the author of 0:01:38.640 --> 0:01:43.840 an American Academy of Pediatrics clinical report called Countering Vaccine Hesitancy. 0:01:44.120 --> 0:01:47.280 She said this has been going on for centuries and 0:01:47.480 --> 0:01:50.360 pointed to a cartoon published back in eighteen o two 0:01:50.760 --> 0:01:54.680 that depicts people growing cow like parts. This was in 0:01:54.800 --> 0:01:58.920 response to Edward Jenner pioneering the smallpox vaccine by using 0:01:58.920 --> 0:02:03.400 material from Alpas. A medical historian by the name of 0:02:03.440 --> 0:02:07.560 Elena Konis wrote in a article in The American Historian 0:02:08.000 --> 0:02:11.200 that the first small pax vaccine quote was met with 0:02:11.320 --> 0:02:15.480 enthusiasm but also dread. While many patients and physicians were 0:02:15.600 --> 0:02:18.800 eager to fend off one of that era's most feared diseases, 0:02:19.200 --> 0:02:22.440 many others balked at the prospect of contaminating their healthy 0:02:22.440 --> 0:02:27.239 bodies with disease matter from an animal. And then, when 0:02:27.280 --> 0:02:30.640 European countries began making small pax vaccines, mandatory in the 0:02:30.639 --> 0:02:34.400 early eighteen hundreds, She wrote that quote, societies of anti 0:02:34.520 --> 0:02:38.400 vaccinationists formed to protest what they saw as unequal treatment 0:02:38.480 --> 0:02:43.520 and undue infringement of individual liberty, but they didn't get 0:02:43.600 --> 0:02:47.800 much traction. There was also little protest against the polio vaccine, 0:02:47.840 --> 0:02:51.560 which was released in nineteen fifty four to wild enthusiasm 0:02:51.600 --> 0:02:55.360 in America. According to konis And, she wrote, parents so 0:02:55.520 --> 0:02:58.080 dreaded polio that they were quick to seek the vaccine 0:02:58.120 --> 0:03:01.279 for their children, and course of politics never became necessary. 0:03:02.800 --> 0:03:05.720 But as the decades went on, American parents were not 0:03:05.840 --> 0:03:09.800 so excited about vaccinations for measles, mumps, and other diseases. 0:03:09.840 --> 0:03:13.120 She noted, perhaps because people were used to living with 0:03:13.200 --> 0:03:17.480 these diseases. Health officials often had to make vaccinations mandatory 0:03:17.520 --> 0:03:23.480 for school registration. In order to get compliance. In a 0:03:23.600 --> 0:03:29.320 TV documentary called DPT Vaccine Roulette aired, featuring profiles of 0:03:29.400 --> 0:03:32.640 children whose mothers believed they were harmed by the vaccine 0:03:32.680 --> 0:03:36.480 for diphtheria, whooping cough, and tetanus. One of the first 0:03:36.520 --> 0:03:42.520 media pieces critical of vaccines then that now disproven Lancet 0:03:42.720 --> 0:03:48.240 article was published, sparking the anti vaxer movement. Fast forward, 0:03:49.080 --> 0:03:53.040 one and the new vaccination against COVID nineteen. One third 0:03:53.080 --> 0:03:55.600 of American adults are skeptical of getting it, according to 0:03:55.640 --> 0:03:58.600 the Associated Press, which is a pretty big problem for 0:03:58.640 --> 0:04:02.800 those trying to slow or stop up the pandemic. So 0:04:03.400 --> 0:04:07.520 why the hesitation, As we said, vaccine hesitancy is normal, 0:04:07.720 --> 0:04:11.400 even healthy. The reasons that it happens are threefold, according 0:04:11.400 --> 0:04:15.520 to Edwards. First, people may think that the disease isn't 0:04:15.520 --> 0:04:18.240 that bad and therefore that it doesn't need to be prevented. 0:04:18.920 --> 0:04:21.719 Edwards said, well, one of the issues that makes vaccine 0:04:21.720 --> 0:04:25.120 hesitancy more common prior to COVID is that many of 0:04:25.160 --> 0:04:28.240 the infectious diseases that parents dreaded for their children have 0:04:28.360 --> 0:04:33.120 been eliminated. And it's true severe chicken pox, mumps, and 0:04:33.240 --> 0:04:36.719 other once devastating illnesses are far rarer than they used 0:04:36.720 --> 0:04:40.520 to be thanks to vaccines. In terms of COVID, fear 0:04:40.600 --> 0:04:43.560 levels tend to run a wide range, with some people 0:04:43.640 --> 0:04:48.400 petrified of the virus and others totally unconcerned. Edwards explained, 0:04:48.760 --> 0:04:50.960 many people who don't want to get the vaccine are 0:04:51.080 --> 0:04:53.480 less afraid of getting COVID than those who do get 0:04:53.520 --> 0:04:58.320 the vaccine. Of particular, influence to this aspect of vaccine 0:04:58.360 --> 0:05:02.120 hesitancy is the media. So as Edwards a quote, some 0:05:02.440 --> 0:05:05.880 is very science based, others are not. An Internet site 0:05:05.880 --> 0:05:07.880 doesn't come with their rating of whether it's based on 0:05:07.960 --> 0:05:12.280 fact or not. Secondly, people are worried about the safety 0:05:12.320 --> 0:05:14.560 of the vaccine, and this is a big one for 0:05:14.600 --> 0:05:17.880 the COVID nineteen vaccine in particular, because it was developed 0:05:17.920 --> 0:05:20.080 so quickly, a lot of people think that it can't 0:05:20.120 --> 0:05:23.919 possibly be safe enough to use. In reality, scientists have 0:05:23.960 --> 0:05:27.839 been dealing with other coronaviruses like stars and mers for decades, 0:05:28.040 --> 0:05:33.080 which gave them a head start in the vaccine department. Thirdly, 0:05:33.360 --> 0:05:38.279 especially in American society, individualism is a big factor. Most 0:05:38.320 --> 0:05:40.760 people don't like to be told what to do, even 0:05:40.760 --> 0:05:43.760 if it is in their best interests. Edwards said that 0:05:43.760 --> 0:05:46.480 the line of thinking is, I quote, decide for myself 0:05:46.520 --> 0:05:48.960 if I get vaccinated, whether I wear masks, if I 0:05:49.000 --> 0:05:51.839 go out or quarantine. It's the sense of wanting to 0:05:51.880 --> 0:05:57.480 be an individual and having individual rights. Vaccination rates in 0:05:57.520 --> 0:06:00.560 general are still high in the United States, with n 0:06:01.080 --> 0:06:04.240 p five percent of children aged nineteen thirty five months 0:06:04.240 --> 0:06:09.160 fully vaccinated against measles. Moms and rubula. As of this 0:06:09.240 --> 0:06:12.120 is an all time high and the lowest rate between 0:06:12.240 --> 0:06:15.400 then In ninetour when the study that these numbers are 0:06:15.440 --> 0:06:20.599 from began, tracking rates occurred, not so coincidentally, in when 0:06:20.600 --> 0:06:24.839 the fraudulent Vaccine and Autism study was released. Vaccination rates 0:06:24.880 --> 0:06:29.680 were just eighty six percent that year. Still, there's not 0:06:29.760 --> 0:06:33.240 likely to be a magic cure to eliminate vaccine hesitancy 0:06:33.400 --> 0:06:37.600 anytime soon, Brewer said, we don't have much evidence that 0:06:37.720 --> 0:06:43.160 interventions to decrease hesitancy can increase vaccine uptake. Such interventions 0:06:43.160 --> 0:06:47.159 have been unreliably effective. That said, the best way to 0:06:47.200 --> 0:06:49.960 address hesitancy is to have a person talk with their 0:06:49.960 --> 0:06:54.000 healthcare provider. A provider recommendation is a single best motivator 0:06:54.080 --> 0:06:59.080 of vaccination. So let's say a friend mentions that they're 0:06:59.160 --> 0:07:02.080 scared to get a certain vaccine, whether for themselves or 0:07:02.120 --> 0:07:04.919 for a child. The worst thing you can do is 0:07:04.960 --> 0:07:09.920 tell them they're stupid or unilaterally discredit their concerns. Instead, 0:07:10.200 --> 0:07:12.960 find out why they're concerned. Is it due to possible 0:07:12.960 --> 0:07:17.160 side effects, fears about big pharma, potential long term problems. 0:07:18.240 --> 0:07:22.160 Validate those fears by listening and taking them seriously. Then 0:07:22.320 --> 0:07:25.400 suggest that they visit some reputable sites with you or 0:07:25.520 --> 0:07:28.360 on their own to get credible answers to their questions. 0:07:29.200 --> 0:07:32.320 A few that Edwards suggests are the CDC, the a 0:07:32.320 --> 0:07:35.480 a P, which is the American Academy of Pediatrics, and 0:07:35.640 --> 0:07:40.239 the National Institutes of Health vaccine information portals. She said, 0:07:40.680 --> 0:07:42.960 there's a wealth of information to look at that can 0:07:42.960 --> 0:07:45.920 answer questions, as long as it's a source that's linked 0:07:45.920 --> 0:07:49.680 to science. We would add that the American Academy of 0:07:49.720 --> 0:07:53.400 Family Physicians website also has an extensive explanation of COVID 0:07:53.520 --> 0:07:59.440 nineteen vaccine myths and facts. Finally, as Brewer says, suggest 0:07:59.480 --> 0:08:02.200 a frank conversation with their doctor to find out why 0:08:02.240 --> 0:08:05.040 the vaccine is recommended, if there are any risks, and 0:08:05.200 --> 0:08:08.160 what the side effects might be. Most of the time, 0:08:08.280 --> 0:08:11.679 a simple conversation with a knowledgeable person will allay fears. 0:08:12.400 --> 0:08:15.760 Edwards said, Certainly, I want my patients to understand what 0:08:15.800 --> 0:08:18.680 they're receiving and how it works. I also want them 0:08:18.680 --> 0:08:21.040 to know that they may experience side effects, but I 0:08:21.080 --> 0:08:28.280 can tell them about Today's episode is based on the 0:08:28.360 --> 0:08:31.560 article vaccine hesitancy is Nothing New on how stuff works 0:08:31.560 --> 0:08:34.680 dot Com, written by Leo Howit. Brain stuff It's production 0:08:34.679 --> 0:08:36.680 of by heart Radio in partnership with house to Works 0:08:36.679 --> 0:08:39.520 dot Com and is produced by Tyler Klang. For more 0:08:39.559 --> 0:08:42.400 podcasts my heart Radio, visit the I heart Radio app, 0:08:42.480 --> 0:08:45.280 Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.