The Vaccine War

In the midst of COVID and even in the aftermath, I’ve written a lot of articles about vaccines and what people think about them, as well as the scientific explanation behind them. A couple years ago, I took a biotechnology class, where our instructor had us watch a documentary called “The Vaccine War” and also had us write about some ethical issues that were described. I came across this assignment while cleaning out my drive as I’m graduating, and I thought this would be interesting as it is still a topic of discussion today. 

Vaccines are one of the most “shining” achievements in medical history, with the power to prevent more than 20 diseases. This has helped lower the risk of contracting many diseases such as polio, measles, mumps, rubella, chickenpox, shingles, and more – diseases that were rampant so long ago that people in this day and age have often forgotten the high death rates that accompany them. Many parents in affluent, “safe” towns hesitate to vaccinate their children, because they don’t remember receiving that many when they were children. Instead, they turn to alternative medicine and organic foods. The documentary shows the back and forth between health officials who encourage vaccination for preventing disease outbreaks and concerned parents who resist vaccination due to distrust. In my opinion, vaccination is a must to protect community health, which outweighs individual objections and personal beliefs.

A key ethical issue that was described in the documentary is the impact of misinformation and how it can lead to distrust in science backed decisions. One belief is that vaccines cause autism in children, often linked to a common ingredient – mercury. Scientists have repeatedly emphasized that vaccine side effects are extremely rare, and not definitively linked, while the risk of contracting the actual illness significantly outweighs these risks. Although many scientific studies and landmark rulings have shown that this isn’t the case, we have seen how one wrong social media post or blog article can lead to a frenzy of agencies and protests, which in turn leads to a decline in vaccination in young children. This often brings back many diseases that have since been eradicated, such as measles and polio. One example is the 2008 measles outbreak, when all the cases were among unvaccinated children.

Another ethical issue is that many people perceive vaccine developers as entrepreneurs driven by profit, rather than public health. This is especially common among older people who believe that the amount of vaccines that are now recommended for children have quadrupled compared to when they were young, and this fuels a sense of distrust. This distrust is more prevalent in first world countries where people lack experience with the devastating effects of polio and measles. In contrast, third world countries, where these diseases remain a threat, are generally more open to vaccination efforts, and are willing to compromise the fact that people are making money off of vaccines because they are at least being saved from the disease.

A recent example of controversy was in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and the rapid development of vaccines. They sparked many debates regarding mandates and misinformation. While many governments and agencies implemented vaccine mandates for healthcare workers and public spaces, many individuals did not believe that this would actually help them, and cited the fact that it was an intrusion of their own personal rights. This challenge was made worse by misinformation on social media spreading fear and distrust, especially in big companies such as Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson + Johnson that were making money off of the new vaccines.

The Vaccine War highlights the tension between individual rights and public health, as well as how misinformation can lead to very preventable disease outbreaks. Also, especially privileged communities that often feel safer ignore the reality that outbreaks can happen anywhere, and vaccinated children are often getting sick due to their unvaccinated children in their community. The most important approach to overcome vaccine hesitancy, is making it a priority to educate the public while making policies that benefit public health, without overstepping personal rights. Strengthening trust and informing the public can maximize widespread vaccination and protect public health.

If you have any questions, make sure to put them in the forum! Below is the source for the documentary, “The Vaccine War”:

Palfreman, Jon, and Kate McMahon. “The Vaccine War.” FRONTLINE, 2017, [www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/documentary/vaccines/](http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/documentary/vaccines/)