As measles rapidly spreads across the United States, concerns about vaccines are rising, leading to a growing social atmosphere hesitant towards vaccinations. There are worries that a high vaccine non-compliance rate could pose a serious threat to public health.
On the 23rd (local time), The Washington Post (WP) reported, citing a survey conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) involving over 1,300 respondents, that a majority of American adults have encountered conspiracy theories regarding the MMR vaccine, with many of them unable to clearly determine their validity.
The conspiracy theories they have encountered reportedly include claims that ▲ the MMR vaccine causes autism, ▲ the MMR vaccine is more dangerous than measles, and ▲ vitamin A prevents measles.
The MMR vaccine is a preventive vaccination given to infants aged 9 to 15 months to block the spread of highly contagious diseases such as measles (Measles), mumps (Mumps), and rubella (Rubella).
According to the survey, 62% of all respondents answered that they have encountered the claim that 'there is a causal relationship between the MMR vaccine and autism.' Additionally, 33% said they had heard that 'the vaccine is more dangerous than measles,' and 20% reported having heard that 'vitamin A prevents measles.'
The proportion of respondents who answered 'definitely true' to such claims was less than 5% for each, but the responses identifying them as 'definitely false' were also less than half. Specifically, 43% said the claim that the MMR vaccine is more dangerous than measles is definitely false, 34% claimed that the assertion that the MMR vaccine causes autism is definitely false, and only 27% said the claim that vitamin A prevents measles is definitely false. The majority adopted a moderate stance, indicating that 'it might be true' or 'it might be false.'
The backdrop of spreading distrust in vaccines is attributed primarily to statements made by Robert Kennedy Jr., the U.S. Minister of Health and Human Services. A well-known vaccine skeptic, Minister Kennedy initially stated during the early outbreak of measles that 'vaccination is a personal choice,' demonstrating a tendency to leave the decision to individuals rather than encourage vaccination. He previously mentioned a connection between autism and vaccines and referred to vitamin A as a preventive measure against measles, even prompting the inclusion of this information in the guidelines of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
However, experts maintain that these claims are clearly false. Vitamin A may be used as a supplementary treatment in some regions, such as developing countries, where nutritional deficiencies are severe, but it cannot replace vaccines, and according to the CDC, less than 1% of the U.S. population is vitamin A deficient.
Following the occurrence of the second measles-related death in Texas, Minister Kennedy backtracked on the 6th through a post on X (formerly Twitter), stating, 'The MMR vaccine is the most effective preventive measure to stop the spread of measles.'
KFF analyzed that the majority of the 'malleable middle,' who have not made a clear judgment about false information, contribute to the spread of vaccine distrust in the U.S. and that they are lowering vaccination rates.
In fact, according to the KFF survey, 24% of parents who answered that they 'believe' at least one of the three false claims have skipped some vaccinations for their children, whereas only 11% of parents who recognized all those claims as 'false' showed a similar trend. KFF explained that 'parents who believe false information are nearly twice as likely to delay or forgo their children's vaccinations.'
Additionally, KFF noted that 'the acceptance of false facts varies by political orientation' and suggested that 'Republican supporters tend to be more easily influenced by falsehoods related to vaccines than Democratic supporters.'
Meanwhile, there are concerns that low vaccination rates could pose a direct threat to public health. Liz Hamel, KFF polling director, warned in an interview with WP, stating, 'Measles has a high mortality rate, so it's important to build herd immunity through vaccination,' noting that 'the risk of spread can rapidly increase with just a few unvaccinated individuals.'