Mickey Morandante
Vaccine Hesitancy
● Describe the situation that generated the news report
- The news report is about a couple who refused to get their son immunized
against Hepatitis B and tuberculosis (BCG) which are two of the list of
vaccinations required in Argentina. This happened December 28, 2018.
● What was the health institution response? Was it backed up later by a legal authority
decision?
- The health center reported the couple and the Ombudsman for Minors and
Disabled Persons handled the case and ordered the parents to comply within 3
days.
● What were the 2 main argumentations or themes that parents invoked against
immunization of their son?
- The couple’s first argument is their preconceived belief that it will bring danger to
the child, even death. The second one is that they claim they have the freedom to
decide for their own child and claim if not given the freedom to do so is a form of
“state abuse”
● How the state court replied to those arguments?
- The state court replied that their arguments were misinformed and that there is
no particular health situation or risks in giving the child the vaccine. The state
also claims that this situation “notoriously transcends the sphere of privacy” since
it is a matter of public health and the consequences of not giving the child the
vaccine may affect other people.
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● What elements of the 5C model can you relate to this particular case?
- An element that is highlighted in this case is confidence which encapsulates the
trust in the vaccine itself, the system, and the intention of the policy-makers. The
parents’ first argument where they claimed it would potentially kill or harm their
baby is founded in misinformation and potentially, the “conspiracy mentality”.
Additionally, collective responsibility can also be seen in the way the parents
brought up personal choice and autonomy over their child as an argument. There
is a lack of sense of urgency and importance on their part, and a lack of
consideration for the consequences it would bring to the people around them.
● Please identify at least two ways in which epidemiology can help counteract vaccine
hesitancy
- To combat confidence, public awareness campaigns should be used. Vaccines
should be the talk of the town– talk of the mothers, parents, educators, and
everyone, but the content of that discussion must be based on accuracy and
based on evidence, therefore, public health agencies must jumpstart and lead the
conversation. They can do this by conducting more research not just on vaccine
safety and effectiveness but also on vaccine hesitancy. If we know what is driving
people’s decision to not get vaccinated, we are able to form and brand our
campaigns in a way that specifically targets those assumptions, even using the
exact same language and framing they use. Lastly, if we use evidence-driven
data, people are more likely to believe us and listen to us. However, I believe we
should tell them all sides of the coin, the benefits but also the risks, highlighting
its effectiveness in lowering the prevalence of diseases but also mentioning
cases of bad reactions to vaccines. In this way, people know we are not hiding
things from them.
