Vaccination rates against childhood diseases such as measles and polio have seen a noticeable decline since before the COVID-19 pandemic. Is this due to a lack of access or a loss of trust in science? In this article, we will delve into this topic in detail and explore the possible reasons for the decline in vaccination rates and what we must do to address this challenge before an outbreak of diseases occurs.
The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Vaccination Rates
The COVID-19 pandemic has seen a significant rise in the movement against vaccination. However, vaccination rates against childhood diseases were already deteriorating long before that. It began with the spread of false information about the effects of vaccines on autism from individuals like Jenny McCarthy and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and this information was subsequently amplified to become an organized movement.
The Impact of Lack of Access and Loss of Trust in Science
The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a greater decline in the number of children receiving routine vaccinations, making them more susceptible to those diseases. This is certainly not good. The last thing we need is a new outbreak of measles or whooping cough.
The Impact of Childhood Diseases on Health
Some childhood diseases, such as measles and polio, can cause severe disabilities or even death. Do you remember polio? It was a frightening time, with children using crutches and horror stories about iron lungs, and people dreading the summer because it was peak season for cases. Jonas Salk became a great hero thanks to the polio vaccine in the 1950s.
Decline in Vaccination Rates
Vaccination rates against childhood diseases like measles, mumps, rubella, tetanus, and diphtheria have declined. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported in a recent study that vaccination rates for childhood diseases dropped from 95 percent to around 93 percent nationwide between 2019 and 2022. Idaho had the lowest vaccination rate, exceeding 81 percent.
The Importance of Vaccination Rates
A change from 95 to 93 percent may not seem significant. However, for diseases like measles that spread very quickly, this is crucial. Any percentage lower than 95 can lead to an outbreak of the disease.
The COVID-19 Pandemic’s Impact on Vaccination Rates
These trends have worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic. Measles cases have increased by approximately 18 percent globally, and deaths rose by 43 percent in 2022 compared to 2021, according to a recent report.
Reasons for Declining Vaccination Rates
To understand why vaccination rates against childhood diseases are declining, I spoke with Jennifer Nuzzo.
Jennifer Nuzzo: I’m Jennifer Nuzzo, director of the Pandemic Center and associate professor of epidemiology at the Brown University School of Public Health.
I spoke with her about the decline in vaccination rates nationwide.
Jennifer Nuzzo: Seeing the decline below 95 percent is very concerning. But the problem may be greater than the 93 percent statistic indicates because that is a national average. There are still places in the population where coverage is very low. We have seen outbreaks in the past when there was generally good coverage statewide, yet coverage was low in one county, for example.
Reasons for Declining Vaccination Rates
Jennifer Nuzzo believes there are several reasons for the decline in vaccination rates. She thinks more research should be conducted to understand the main reasons for this drop in coverage. But first and foremost, there was a lack of preventive care during the pandemic, and the decline in coverage for vaccination against measles and mumps did not happen across all age groups, indicating that some children are still getting vaccinated.
Simply put, children have fallen behind on their vaccinations due to not visiting the doctor as frequently or due to a lack of access to medical care. Nuzzo also points out that it is still difficult for parents to get their children vaccinated in general. She emphasizes that it should be easier for parents to obtain vaccinations for their children.
The Impact of
The Doubt in Vaccines and the Spread of Misinformation
The doubt in vaccines and the spread of misinformation have played a clear role in the decline of vaccination rates. Nozo believes there is an undesirable attack on vaccines, and perhaps a growing part of the American public is questioning the value and safety of vaccines now as a result of the pandemic and the many false and misleading information circulating.
Challenges Related to Mandatory Vaccination
Every state in the United States has laws requiring children to receive vaccinations in order to get an education. However, there are sometimes exemptions for medical reasons. In recent years, the number of parents obtaining vaccination exemptions for their children based on religious or philosophical reasons has increased.
Surveys indicate that American confidence in science has declined during the pandemic. But the news isn’t all bad: A recent study by the Pew Foundation showed that most Americans still view childhood vaccines positively overall. However, about half of parents with children under four years old say they are concerned that not all childhood vaccines are necessary.
Challenges in Addressing Parents’ Real Concerns
I’ve heard parents talk about this. In some ways, vaccines have become victims of their own success. We don’t see many of the childhood diseases that vaccines prevent, so people have stopped worrying about getting vaccinated. Additionally, COVID-19 vaccines have become a political issue, and that has spilled over to other vaccines as well. But Nozo, who is also a mother, points out that healthcare providers haven’t done a good job of addressing parents’ real concerns.
Jennifer Nozo: I think there are many questions that we haven’t answered adequately or properly, leaving lingering doubts in parents’ minds or contributing to increased skepticism among parents. And this is the issue that we need to tackle, because if left unaddressed, it could continue to grow and escalate.
The Importance of Focusing on Parents’ Concerns
Overall, Nozo says this is a call we should heed to address parents’ concerns about vaccines before an outbreak occurs.
Jennifer Nozo: We should take this as an important signal and start building the infrastructure and trust necessary to bring people back to a place where they feel very grateful for the benefits that vaccines provide.
“Your Health Quickly” was produced by Tulika Bose, Jeff DelViscio, Kelsey Harper, Karen Leong, and us. It was edited by Ila Feder and Alexa Lim. The music was composed by Dominic Smith.
Our program is part of the “Science, Quickly” podcast by Scientific American. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. If you enjoyed the show, please rate us or leave a review!
If you have a topic you would like us to cover, you can email us at [email protected].
For Your Health Quickly, I’m Tanya Lewis.
And I’m Josh Fishman.
See you next time.
.lwrp .lwrp-list-container{
}
.lwrp .lwrp-list-multi-container{
display: flex;
}
.lwrp .lwrp-list-double{
width: 48%;
}
.lwrp .lwrp-list-triple{
width: 32%;
}
.lwrp .lwrp-list-row-container{
display: flex;
justify-content: space-between;
}
.lwrp .lwrp-list-row-container .lwrp-list-item{
width: calc(12% – 20px);
}
.lwrp .lwrp-list-item:not(.lwrp-no-posts-message-item){
}
.lwrp .lwrp-list-item img{
max-width: 100%;
height: auto;
object-fit: cover;
aspect-ratio: 1 / 1;
}
.lwrp .lwrp-list-item.lwrp-empty-list-item{
background: initial !important;
}
.lwrp .lwrp-list-item .lwrp-list-link .lwrp-list-link-title-text,
.lwrp .lwrp-list-item .lwrp-list-no-posts-message{
}@media screen and (max-width: 480px) {
.lwrp.link-whisper-related-posts{
}
.lwrp .lwrp-title{
}
}.lwrp .lwrp-description{
}
.lwrp .lwrp-list-multi-container{
flex-direction: column;
}
.lwrp .lwrp-list-multi-container ul.lwrp-list{
margin-top: 0px;
margin-bottom: 0px;
padding-top: 0px;
padding-bottom: 0px;
}
.lwrp .lwrp-list-double,
.lwrp .lwrp-list-triple{
width: 100%;
}
.lwrp .lwrp-list-row-container{
justify-content: initial;
flex-direction: column;
}
.lwrp .lwrp-list-row-container .lwrp-list-item{
width: 100%;
}
.lwrp .lwrp-list-item:not(.lwrp-no-posts-message-item){
}
.lwrp .lwrp-list-item .lwrp-list-link .lwrp-list-link-title-text,
.lwrp .lwrp-list-item .lwrp-list-no-posts-message{
}
};
}
Leave a Reply