How We Can Talk About Vaccination with Skeptics

Vaccination and the choice to vaccinate is a sensitive topic. Feelings associated with the vaccine debate can run through frustration, fear, and anger.

Just a glance at daily headlines reveals little doubt that attitudes towards vaccines are affecting public health policy. Some states have been making moves to expand exemptions for school vaccines. Other states are restricting vaccine exemptions due to measles outbreaks. Meanwhile, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that measles cases from the beginning of the year have already amounted to the second highest number since the disease was eradicated in the year 2000. That’s 465 cases in 19 states through the beginning of April.

I’m writing about this topic because it’s becoming an increasingly pressing and urgent issue, and I hope to contribute to this discussion by establishing some kind of understanding and practical way of moving forward.

When it comes to vaccination, the issue has been so polarizing that people are now labeled into identity groups of “vaxxers” and “anti-vaxxers.” This is so dangerous because it pits people against each other, when in the end, everyone has the same goal — to protect ourselves, our children, and the ones we love. It’s just that there are so many different messages about vaccines spread online that it’s difficult to reach the same conclusion, even if people dedicate the same effort to researching the topic.

I have an example of this from my own life. My friend from high school recently confided in me that her mom was an “anti-vaxxer.” Initially, I was shocked. I had assumed that people who choose not to vaccinate themselves or their children were simply anti-science. But I know her mom. I know she is smart and reasonable. When I asked my friend if she had gotten vaccines, she told me that she had to in order to come to college, but that even then, her mom was reluctant. Her mom had been guided by information provided by sources touting herbal and “all natural” holistic medicine to reject vaccination.

There are many reasons why people choose not to vaccinate. For example, some people — particularly in the United States and parts of Africa — are suspicious of medical interventions coming from the Western establishment. This is due to a known history of government-backed exploitation of black people in medical experiments. Others are caught in conspiracy theories where it is believed that data is faked and harmful side-effects of vaccines are hidden from the public to ensure that pharmaceutical companies and governments are able to make money.

Who makes the call to vaccinate their child? Usually, it’s the mother. According to a survey conducted in 2017, in most households, women are the managers of their families’ health care needs. About three-quarters of mothers reported that they are the ones who usually take charge of health care responsibilities, such as choosing their children’s provider, taking them to appointments, and following through with recommended care. There’s a lot of pressure riding on mothers to make the safest choice for their child.

Who can mothers turn to and trust to make their decisions? Hopefully, it would be their family physicians and other accredited medical authorities. But sometimes information is most effectively internalized when it comes from your community and friends. Although many health care providers practice with a very caring and personal touch, the field of medicine has a history of insensitivity to feelings and emotions. As someone working toward a career in medicine, I want to take a more empathetic route when delivering health information. People are suffering and will continue to suffer because of anti-vaccination efforts. I’m hopeful we can turn this around.

I hope to see a shift in the practice of medicine toward increased empathy. Sensitivity toward the thoughts and feelings of patients is essential when providing health care and health information. We need to begin acknowledging the fears of those with anti-vaccination stances and meet them where there is common ground, reducing the health risks to children. This goes beyond vaccination and to the field of medicine in general. Instead of asserting authority, we must be empathetic to the perspectives and needs of our patients so that we can deliver better care that comes from mutual understanding.