VACCINES: THE CAUSE OR SOLUTION TO DISEASES?
In 2010, 1 in 4 parents thought some vaccines cause autism and 1 in 8 has refused at least one recommended vaccine (Rabin, 2010). Decreased vaccination rates legitimize parents’ fears about vaccines, furthering the harms on public health. As the government raises its estimates of how many children have autism and related disorders, many parents are drawing correlations between this number and the growing list of recommended shots. Stacy Allan, a mother who has stopped vaccinating her three children, “doesn't understand how other people don't see that these two things are related” (Stobbe, 2011). Vaccine exemptions have risen in more than half of the states; 10 states had increases of 1.5% or more over a five-year period, a range that seems negligible, but its effects can disseminate rapidly as more parents become wary of vaccine effectiveness (Stobbe, 2011). While it is understandable that parents are worried for their child’s health and want to avoid all risks, parents are selectively choosing which sources to trust, settling on those that argue against vaccines, perhaps because the negative effects (a sick child) is more noticeable than the positive effects (a healthy child).
Some parents use their fame as a tool to publicize their position and to persuade others; their roles as celebrities play a crucial role in influencing what and how people perceive certain information. People naturally view high status and success as evidence of credibility, which is likely why so many parents trust Jenny McCarthy, an actress and former Playboy model. McCarthy firmly believes vaccines are responsible for the development of autism in children and uses her own son, who was diagnosed with autism at age 3, as proof of the regression that occurs after vaccination (Black, 2011). On a blog post she wrote for The Huffington Post, McCarthy asks the legitimate point of why “one journalist’s accusations against Dr. Wakefield now means the vaccine-autism debate is over?” (McCarthy, 2011), bringing up the question of whose words can we actually trust? For many parents, it comes down to where their parental instincts guide them.
However, since the one journalist, Brian Deer, challenged Wakefield’s conclusions, numerous subsequent studies have shown that Wakefield concealed the fact that some of the children in his study were already suffering from developmental problems when they were vaccinated, undermining the correlation he supposed based on circumstantial evidence (New York Times, 2011); yet the University of Michigan survey shows that 24% of the parents surveyed placed “some trust” in information provided by celebrities, such as McCarthy, on vaccine safety (Rochman, 2011). Even though there is not absolute confidence in celebrities’ words, it is still concerning how their words can affect people since they do not have scientific training. The same survey found that mothers are more liable to trust media sources that say vaccines harm children because mothers are more likely to be cautious when making decisions concerning their child. Sometimes the “truth” is based on who and what we choose to believe.
The media easily give celebrities a stage to deliver their opinions. McCarthy publicly raises many questions that scientists and research do not answer. For parents, nothing is more frustrating than not getting the answers needed to ensure their child’s safety. On McCarthy’s blog post, an easily accessible media source, she asks, “Why aren’t there any tests that test the safety of administering six vaccines at a time in the real world? Why have only 2 of the 36 shots our kids receive been looked at for their relationship to autism? Why hasn’t anyone ever studied completely non-vaccinated children to understand their autism rate?” (McCarthy, 2011). It reassures parents to see a prominent figure have the same concerns they do and to be so active in spreading awareness and in encouraging parents to question their child’s healthcare. McCarthy has written multiple books on autism, including Louder than Words: A Mother’s Journey in Healing Autism and Mother Warriors: A Nation of Parents Healing Autism Against All Odds. She even co-wrote one of her books, Healing and Preventing Autism, with a doctor, Dr. Jerry Kartzinel (Barnes and Noble). Her role as a published author and affiliation with a doctor helps alleviate some doubt about the truth behind her words. Her willingness to be active in the vaccine war and in organizations aimed to help families affected by autism coupled with her public enthusiasm make it easy for parents to identify with and admire her.
But if we ignore the ideas of those who do not have a medical experience, is it safe to assume that doctors are the most reliable and knowledgeable about vaccines? In the University of Michigan survey, 74% of the parents surveyed seemed to think so and placed their highest trust in doctors (Rochman, 2011). We assume all doctors receive the same education and follow a structured online on how to diagnose and inform patients, but that is definitely untrue when scientific papers and opinions are always contradicting each other. It is comforting to know that doctors are confident in their knowledge and recommendations, but what if the doctors who support immunization and the doctors who oppose immunization are both confident? Who do we believe? How do we know who is telling the truth? When differing opinions among professionals emerge, the decision to believe which information becomes even harder.
Some parents use their fame as a tool to publicize their position and to persuade others; their roles as celebrities play a crucial role in influencing what and how people perceive certain information. People naturally view high status and success as evidence of credibility, which is likely why so many parents trust Jenny McCarthy, an actress and former Playboy model. McCarthy firmly believes vaccines are responsible for the development of autism in children and uses her own son, who was diagnosed with autism at age 3, as proof of the regression that occurs after vaccination (Black, 2011). On a blog post she wrote for The Huffington Post, McCarthy asks the legitimate point of why “one journalist’s accusations against Dr. Wakefield now means the vaccine-autism debate is over?” (McCarthy, 2011), bringing up the question of whose words can we actually trust? For many parents, it comes down to where their parental instincts guide them.
However, since the one journalist, Brian Deer, challenged Wakefield’s conclusions, numerous subsequent studies have shown that Wakefield concealed the fact that some of the children in his study were already suffering from developmental problems when they were vaccinated, undermining the correlation he supposed based on circumstantial evidence (New York Times, 2011); yet the University of Michigan survey shows that 24% of the parents surveyed placed “some trust” in information provided by celebrities, such as McCarthy, on vaccine safety (Rochman, 2011). Even though there is not absolute confidence in celebrities’ words, it is still concerning how their words can affect people since they do not have scientific training. The same survey found that mothers are more liable to trust media sources that say vaccines harm children because mothers are more likely to be cautious when making decisions concerning their child. Sometimes the “truth” is based on who and what we choose to believe.
The media easily give celebrities a stage to deliver their opinions. McCarthy publicly raises many questions that scientists and research do not answer. For parents, nothing is more frustrating than not getting the answers needed to ensure their child’s safety. On McCarthy’s blog post, an easily accessible media source, she asks, “Why aren’t there any tests that test the safety of administering six vaccines at a time in the real world? Why have only 2 of the 36 shots our kids receive been looked at for their relationship to autism? Why hasn’t anyone ever studied completely non-vaccinated children to understand their autism rate?” (McCarthy, 2011). It reassures parents to see a prominent figure have the same concerns they do and to be so active in spreading awareness and in encouraging parents to question their child’s healthcare. McCarthy has written multiple books on autism, including Louder than Words: A Mother’s Journey in Healing Autism and Mother Warriors: A Nation of Parents Healing Autism Against All Odds. She even co-wrote one of her books, Healing and Preventing Autism, with a doctor, Dr. Jerry Kartzinel (Barnes and Noble). Her role as a published author and affiliation with a doctor helps alleviate some doubt about the truth behind her words. Her willingness to be active in the vaccine war and in organizations aimed to help families affected by autism coupled with her public enthusiasm make it easy for parents to identify with and admire her.
But if we ignore the ideas of those who do not have a medical experience, is it safe to assume that doctors are the most reliable and knowledgeable about vaccines? In the University of Michigan survey, 74% of the parents surveyed seemed to think so and placed their highest trust in doctors (Rochman, 2011). We assume all doctors receive the same education and follow a structured online on how to diagnose and inform patients, but that is definitely untrue when scientific papers and opinions are always contradicting each other. It is comforting to know that doctors are confident in their knowledge and recommendations, but what if the doctors who support immunization and the doctors who oppose immunization are both confident? Who do we believe? How do we know who is telling the truth? When differing opinions among professionals emerge, the decision to believe which information becomes even harder.