Context: Understanding and analysing the steps necessary to tackle vaccine hesitancy.
Understanding vaccine hesitancy
Definition: According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), it is a reluctance or refusal to be vaccinated, regarded as one of the top threats to global health.
Past occurrences:
Observed in Britain around vaccination against whooping cough in the 1970s and 1980s and against measles in 1990.
Hesitancy around HPV vaccine in Japan and tetanus toxoid in Kenya recorded.
In India, there was hesitancy during the polio vaccination campaign.
Contemporary challenges: In this age of surplus information (digital age), outbreaks of misinformation, spread through social and digital media channels, have the potential to significantly impact public health.
India is particularly vulnerable to this challenge because we are increasingly moving towards consumption of news and information online and through social channels.
This kind of misinformation, when directed towards public health programmes such as immunisation, can adversely impact public trust, especially through an ‘echo chamber’ effect.
Way forward
Understanding benefits of vaccines: Vaccines are an important public health tool to mitigate the impact of infectious diseases.
Some vaccines prevent infections from gaining a foothold in our body; others like Covid-19 vaccines (disease-modifying vaccines) reduce the severity of illnesses.
Building public trust through clear and transparent communication: Need to equip ourselves as well as healthcare professionals and frontline workers with the information needed to counter misinformation.
Counter misinformation and rumours: Seeding positive messages proactively in community and on social platforms demonstrating positive behaviour change.