How Younger Generations Feel About The Anti-Vaccine Movement

February 19, 2019 Kristin Montemarano Real World 1

Vaccination Photo // PHOTO via Salt Lake Tribune

By KRISTIN MONTEMARANO

More than 3 million people die from diseases that are preventable with vaccines every year, according to The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.  While some nations worldwide lack access to proper vaccinations, there seems to be a rising trend going against vaccines in the United States.

The Anti-Vaccine Movement started many years ago, and those who follow the movement believe vaccines are unsafe for their child, can cause major health defects, and that they are an unnatural way to eliminate the historic diseases the vaccines were created to prevent.

There are numerous vaccines that are used in the United States, some of those being polio, cholera, hepatitis A and B, human papilloma virus, influenza, measles, rabies, tetanus, and so many more.

According to the CDC, in 2016 alone there were 19,285 cases of hepatitis A and B, haemophilus, varicella, meningococcal ACWY, and meningococcal B, which are all vaccine preventable diseases.

Parents are faced with the decision whether or not they want to vaccinate their children, and according to The Immunization Partnership of the U.S.A., 71 percent of parents think it is important to do so.

“As a new mom I did not have very many questions concerning vaccinations for my daughter as I took time during my pregnancy to do extensive research on all mandatory and recommended vaccinations myself,” Dasia, 21, mom to her 11-month-old daughter Onyx.

After her research, she came to the conclusion that, “The risk of death is less than 1% and there is absolutely no scientific evidence to support the belief that vaccines cause things such as autism,” which is something many anti-vaccine parents believe.

Local Outbreaks

A recent measles outbreak in New Jersey made major headlines when 33 people became infected with the disease. It began in Ocean County, and was for the most part contained there until it made its way into a single household in Passaic County, NJ.com says.

Though the outbreak is now contained, reports say, doctors are recommending that children get vaccinated twice for the disease at this point.

The issue is pitting teens against their parents, and some are even evading their parents wishes and getting the measles vaccine anyway, per this tweet below from The Hill’s account.

Celebrity and Social Media Controversy

The World Health Organization released a report listing “vaccine hesitancy” as one of the main threats to global health in 2019.

With new attention growing from local outbreaks and celebrity controversies, people are beginning to develop strong opinions.

According to a recent article from The Salt Lake Tribune, Facebook is a main culprit in the current spread of the movement. The measles outbreak has surged many anti-vaccine Facebook groups and conspiracies are spreading quickly.

Though Facebook claims they are actively trying to prevent the spread of false information, The Guardian and The Salt Lake Tribune are reporting that search results that include “vaccine” are widely uneven, the majority being anti-vaccine related content.

The Guardian also concluded through investigation that Facebook began accepting ad revenue from Vax Truther, Anti-Vaxxer, Vaccines Revealed, and Michigan for Vaccine Choice.

Buzzfeed, The Daily Beast, and CNN, among others, have all released reports about this growing issue.

Celebrity scandals via social media have also gotten traction in recent months, like Kat Von D’s anti-vaccine pledge on Instagram in 2018.

In June, Kat Von D, tattoo artist and beauty mogul, posted a now deleted Instagram sharing her and her husband’s desires to raise their baby without the implementation of vaccines.

The response on social media was overwhelmingly dominated by disapproving opinions. These are just some of the many tweets posted.

https://twitter.com/lemonsand/status/1005440003852382208

While there were many who spoke out against the news on Twitter, a more serious turn took the forefront when moms like Caroline Hirons, from overseas in London, United Kingdom, as well as people who are not able to acquire vaccines due to health reasons, started to discuss their experiences with these scary diseases.

Her 23-year-old son fell ill with mumps in 2017 and spent weeks quarantined in the hospital due to the resurgence of the disease. Her Instagram was a ploy for people to see how important these vaccines are, and how everyone should get them in order to prevent situations like her son’s.

A Closer Look at Opinions on the Movement

With social media being so prevalent in younger generations, sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram cause a mass spread of opinions. In addition to that, the local outbreak in New Jersey has sparked the debate even further.

Most who are a part of the Millennial and Z generation are widely against the anti-vaccine movement.

Alex, a 21-year-old student at Western Connecticut State University, believes in vaccinations. As a New York State native where an outbreak also occurred, the N.J. outbreak hits close to home.

“As a nursing major and science student I think this movement is absolutely ridiculous. Why would anyone ever want to put their child in danger of death when there are so many ways to prevent these awful diseases. I just don’t get it. No, I don’t have children but the thought of putting a child at risk is something that I can’t even fathom,” she said. “This movement terrifies me. Not only do I one day want to have my own family, but I plan on working in a neonatal or pediatric department. I want people to know that these vaccines are here to help not harm their children.”

Dasia, who lived in New York but now resides in Memphis, TN, also has a negative opinion toward the movement. “While the choice to or not to vaccinate is completely up to the parent, I think it is a very selfish choice. There is not a valid reason to oppose vaccinations for children. The choice to not vaccinate also puts those with compromised immune systems such as babies and elderly civilians at risk of contracting many deadly diseases. I just feel that it’s a no brainer.”

After asking Hilary, a 19-year-old student at Ramapo College of New Jersey what she thinks about parents not vaccinating their children, she said:

“Not only could it cause an issue for their children in the future but it causes an issue for the other children around them just because if you dont vaccinate your kids you know there’s already a measles outbreak so it can get even worse and bring all these old infections and diseases back to fruition in the future”

There are many resources to look into when making the decision for you and your children, and doctors are doing everything they can do to spread awareness.

The main priority, according to the Texas Medical Association, is for doctors to find new ways to educate those who question the validity of vaccines. They also say that there is a possible advantage toward celebrities and those with larger platforms to promote the idea pro-vaccination, since the world is so focused on social platforms and popular people in the industry.

While everyone has a choice to make their own decisions regarding their body and their children, most doctors and citizens of the United States want people to look into the benefits of vaccinations. The CDC along with many other resources all of have pages dedicated to important information about vaccines that everyone should look into to make educated decisions.

Related Links:

Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia

CDC (Data and Statistics on Preventable  Cases and Deaths)

The Immunization Partnership of the U.S.A

NJ.com

World Health Organization

Salt Lake Tribune

Texas Medical Association

CDC (Page with Information on Vaccines)

1 Comment

  1. Locally,this story points out various disease outbreaks in the state of New Jersey, while using a lot of quotes from residents in neighboring states.

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