‘Misinformation is rife’: Readers on why parents are skipping the measles vaccine

C.Harlotte Cripps’ statement that she was delaying her children’s MMR vaccinations sparked widespread backlash. Independent readers.

Many sympathized with her story and praised her courage in sharing it; noted that even well-educated parents can be influenced by online misinformation and past controversies; for example, the controversy sparked by former British doctor Andrew Wakefield, who defended the widely discredited claim that the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine causes autism and bowel disease.

Readers also highlighted the serious risks of not getting vaccinated. Personal stories of measles, rubella, polio, and meningitis demonstrated the potential for lifelong consequences; Many people noted that vaccines protect not only children but also those who are very young or medically unable to be vaccinated.

Some thought of past generations who understood the dangers of preventable diseases because they saw their effects firsthand.

Commentators have also criticized the spread of misinformation through social media, wellness influencers and political actors, linking vaccine skepticism to a broader distrust of experts and institutions.

While readers acknowledged the challenges of navigating modern misinformation, there was broad agreement that it needed to be filtered and children ultimately vaccinated to keep themselves and others safe.

Here’s what you need to say:

overthinking parents

As a retired health visitor I have dealt with many parents like this in the wake of the Wakefield outrage. It is often assumed that those who fail to vaccinate their children are less educated, but it is often educated parents who overthink their parenting responsibilities and choose to listen to conspiracy theories rather than use common sense.

To show parents the harsh reality of neglecting parental responsibilities, I would tell a story Roald Dahl wrote about his own daughter’s death from encephalitis. People don’t realize that it’s not just their own children who are at risk, they are also putting at risk children and adults who are immunocompromised and cannot be vaccinated.

It is a social and personal responsibility to vaccinate children whenever possible. Interestingly, it was always immigrant families from poorer parts of the world who were grateful to have their children vaccinated after seeing so many children suffer in their own communities. If only we could inoculate parents against stupidity and self-indulgence.

Happy RetiredWoman

Understanding vaccine hesitancy

I don’t agree with the author’s actions, but I respect him for admitting he was wrong and explaining to the rest of us how vaccine skepticism has become mainstream and almost respectable. Even hesitation causes delays as mothers consider what the right thing to do is, and inevitably the child is left unprotected.

We grandparents, friends and others, especially those in the medical profession, need to understand this motivation if babies and children are to be protected so that discussions with parents can occur effectively.

There also need to be systems in place to catch the ‘hesitant’ parent who misses vaccinations, to make follow-up appointments with the health visitor, where their suspicions will be taken seriously and discussed in relation to factual evidence.

Perhaps we need greater understanding that mothers are almost always trying to do their best, and that there are powerful forces pulling them in harmful directions and a smart strategy is needed to counteract them.

Kate

Must have vaccination instructions

A simple conversation with your health visitor, nurse or doctor could be the way to go. My middle child was born just after the Wakefield incident broke down and I was a bit nervous about the MMR, but when I spoke to my health visitor she said she had never seen a case of damage to the MMR in her years of working with children. This reassured me and I vaccinated my daughter.

My son, who is 11 years older, did not receive the first two pertussis vaccines because he had seizures after he was born, but after six months without seizures, he received the vaccinations.

Vaccinations should be mandatory for kindergartens and schools, with the only exception being medical conditions that make vaccines unsafe for the child in question. There should be no exceptions to any belief; Children are individuals with their own rights. They are not the property of their parents and have the right to be kept safe and protected from preventable diseases.

CScarlett

Inoculated against everything

I was a military kid and was regularly vaccinated against everything for which there was a vaccine: typhoid, smallpox, yellow fever… I’m in my early 70s now and I don’t think they’ve done me any harm. I remember seeing children with leg braces due to polio.

Vaccines don’t just protect your child; they protect those too young for vaccination. I caught whooping cough as a newborn, too young to be vaccinated. I was not expected to survive and was immediately baptized in the hospital by the Army Father.

I have always been pro-vaccination and have always made sure my children are vaccinated. I understand why Wakefield’s claims regarding MMR worry a lot of people. It did too much damage and so was removed from the UK Medical Register.

Random Name

More critical thinking

It’s a brave article on such a controversial topic, and one that certainly gives insight into the decision-making process of vaccine hesitants.

My own daughter’s vaccination program was in the heat of the first controversy of the Andrew Wakefield study and the district nurse told us about it. I have a science degree and knew Wakefield’s sample size was too small to show statistical significance, so I had no hesitation in getting him vaccinated. I didn’t believe any of the nonsense about the Covid vaccine either.

But I don’t think you need a science degree to come to these conclusions. A little more critical thinking and a little less social media.

RickC

Everyone who has the opportunity should do it.

I am in my 50s and became deaf after contracting rubella when I was five; This was made worse when I caught measles at the age of six. I don’t know if there were no vaccines when I was little or if my mother just didn’t bother. In both cases, vaccination is very important because there are children and people who cannot be vaccinated due to underlying health problems, so everyone who is vaccinated should do it.

The effects of not getting vaccinated can be lifelong and, in some cases, fatal. All my children are fully vaccinated to protect themselves and those in contact with them.

northerners

Misinformation is rampant

The anti-vax movement is truly alarming. Middle-class parents may feel they are “informed,” but misinformation is rampant and children suffer the consequences of not being vaccinated, putting them at risk of serious harm.

The first vaccine against smallpox was made in the 1850s, and when it was realized that farm workers who had cowpox were immune to smallpox, a vaccine was developed. There were anti-vax views and vaccination was made compulsory in 1867.

I think we should be thinking about this for today’s vaccines, rather than parents allowing the disease to spread by giving misinformation and making poor decisions that affect other children as well as their own.

astronomy

Relearning a difficult lesson

Many Boomers would have met others in their childhood who were disabled due to so-called childhood illnesses. A former neighbor of mine was blind due to complications of measles he contracted as a child. My father’s best friend, with whom he went to school, could not walk due to polio.

People vaccinated their children because they could see the consequences of not doing so around them. Maybe people need to relearn this hard lesson.

knight owl

Reaction to expertise

The anti-vax movement is just one symptom of the backlash against expertise. Gove didn’t invent it – there was always an anti-intellectual tendency in Britain – but he brought it into the mainstream and legitimized it to some extent.

Unfortunately I now see even the NHS falling prey to this rot. Last year I was horrified to discover the “patient knows best” branding in my treatment plan. I’m sick of hearing this kind of nonsense again from people who think they know the Alfie’s Army phenomenon better than qualified medical professionals.

Padraig Mahone

Healthcare industry and misinformation

I blame the so-called ‘wellness’ industry. It’s a swamp of misinformation, and it’s been taken over by the far right, who are using it to create rabbit holes to suck people into.

I would be equally worried about the rise of fascism as I was about the spread of measles.

Tabbers

The far right’s exploitation of insecurity

In the early days of Covid, it was fairly easy to trace anti-vax posts on Facebook to pro-Trump sites in the US; This should have been enough to make people question the motives of the entire movement. They included themselves in any group they thought might be vaguely ‘anti-authoritarian’; Vegan groups were the main target, as well as anything remotely ‘alternative’ or ‘natural medicine’ focused. Obviously, such groups consist of large numbers of young people who are ready for political indoctrination. It is a great advantage that, despite the great efforts made, young people in general do not fall for this.

What the far right does is sow distrust in science, and the upside of that, they say, is that it makes people vulnerable to manipulation; hence the connection between anti-vaccination, climate denial and ultimately far-right hatred.

Ali446

Some of the comments in this article have been edited for brevity and clarity.

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