Vaccine misinformation

[5] A large proportion of internet sources on the topic are mostly inaccurate which can lead people searching for information to form misconceptions relating to vaccines.

[6] Although opposition to vaccination has existed for centuries, the internet and social media have recently facilitated the spread of vaccine-related misinformation.

[8] Active disinformation campaigns by foreign actors are related to increases in negative discussions online and decreases in vaccination use over time.

[1][10] A survey by the Royal Society for Public Health found that 50% of the parents of children under the age of five regularly encountered misinformation related to vaccination on social media.

[12] The accounts created by bots used additional compelling stories related to anti-vaccination as clickbait to drive up their revenue and expose users to malware.

[12] A study revealed that Michael Manoel Chaves, an ex-paramedic who was sacked by the NHS for Gross Misconduct after stealing from two patients he was treating, is involved with the anti-vaccine community.

[14] Spreading vaccine misinformation can lead to financial rewards by posting on social media and asking for donations or fundraising for anti-vaccination causes.

Anti-vaxxers emphasize that the components in vaccines such as thiomersal and aluminum are capable for causing health hazards.

[40][41][42] The Big Pharma conspiracy theory, that pharmaceutical companies operate for sinister purposes and against the public good, has been used in the context of vaccination.

Through the spread of false media, civilians are blindly being led to believe that vaccinations are the leading cause of autism, when in fact, this is far from the truth.

[62][63] A 2020 study found that "large proportions of the content about vaccines on popular social media sites are anti-vaccination messages."

Public acceptance of Chinese domestic COVID-19 vaccines dropped significantly due to concerns about the possible high cost.

The longer an individual holds misinformation, the more staunchly rooted it becomes in their mental model, making its correction and retraction all the more difficult.

People are likely to filter any new information they receive to fit their preexisting worldview[70] – corrective vaccine facts are no exception to this motivated reasoning.

Thus, by the time vaccine hesitant individuals arrive at the doctor's office, healthcare workers face an uphill battle.

If they seek to change minds and maintain herd immunity against preventable diseases, they must do more than simply present facts about vaccines.

[71][72] Research shows that science communicators should directly counter misinformation because of its negative influence on silent audience who are observing the vaccine debate, but not engaging in it.

Motivated reasoning could be the mechanism behind this dynamic – no matter how many facts are provided, parents still sift through them to selectively find those that support their worldview.

First, the study's findings revealed a disparity between beliefs and intentions – even as specific misperceptions are corrected, behavior may not change.

[75][76] Pinterest was one of the first social media platforms to surface only trustworthy information from reliable sources on their vaccine related searches back in 2019.

[79] TikTok announced that it would start directing people to official health sources when they search for vaccine related information.

[79] Vaccination has enabled the reduction of most vaccine-preventable diseases (e.g. polio has been eradicated in every country except Afghanistan and Pakistan).

[80] Eradication is the permanent elimination of an infectious disease worldwide through deliberate efforts, rendering further intervention measures unnecessary.