A new wave of Covid-19 is on the horizon. Fortunately, vaccines will help control it. Vaccination originated with the work of the Englishman Edward Jenner (1749-1823) and later with that of Louis Pasteur (1822-1895). In addition, it is probably the most successful public health intervention. However, there are sectors of the population that reject it out of fear or skepticism. What have we done to convince of vaccination and, above all, why is it important?
First, the WHO defines vaccine hesitancy as “the delay in accepting or refusing vaccines despite the availability of immunization services.” It is true that the causes of vaccine hesitancy are context specific, varying by time, place and type of vaccine. It should be noted, however, that these reasons can be grouped into three main categories: fear of side effects, underestimation of the severity of the disease against which one is being vaccinated and, finally, distrust of the healthcare system. health. France, according to data from the Wellcome Trust organization (2018), illustrates the latter situation: one in three French people think that vaccines are not safe. In fact, this country has the highest percentage of any country in the world of vaccine hesitancy.
Next, vaccine hesitancy has serious consequences. This is the case of measles, which had reduced its incidence, but which is now beginning to spread and cause epidemics due to insufficient vaccination coverage. In 2019, 869,770 cases were confirmed worldwide, the highest number of cases reported in 23 years, causing the death of 207,500 people. In addition, France contributed to this increase. In 2019, this country reported approximately 2,600 cases, while in 2017, it had recorded approximately 500. Moreover, in France, as in several other countries, distrust of vaccines has taken root over the past few years. last decades.
“Vaccine hesitancy has serious consequences.”
Moreover, vaccination is generally associated with an act of self-protection, but, in fact, it is collective protection. This can be achieved in three ways: a direct one, preventing transmission to other people; an indirect, by contributing to herd immunity, and, finally, a combination of direct and indirect effects.
Furthermore, herd immunity refers to the indirect protection against infection conferred on susceptible individuals when a sufficiently large proportion of immune individuals exist in a population. Following the example of measles, studies have estimated that more than 95% of a given population needs to be vaccinated against measles to prevent an outbreak.
However, not everyone can be vaccinated, either because they are very young, or because they suffer from severe allergies to one of the components of the vaccines, or because they have a disease that weakens his immune system. Therefore, all medically eligible persons should be vaccinated. Let’s not forget that vaccines do not save lives, but vaccination does. In addition, vaccines are safe, effective and, in fact, necessary, it has been proven over the years. In particular, we have appreciated its success against diseases such as smallpox, polio, diphtheria and tetanus. For example, over the past two decades, measles vaccine is estimated to have averted 31.7 million deaths worldwide. However, vaccine denial and hesitancy are increasing worldwide and the peak of denialism has been reached with the COVID-19 vaccine. So, because of the reluctance to get vaccinated, vaccination had to be encouraged.
“We speak of altruism in vaccination when the primary motive is to benefit others.”
Various strategies for promoting vaccination include debunking beliefs about the risks of vaccination (eg, that they do not cause autism); provide information on vaccine safety; warning of the danger the disease poses to people who have not yet been vaccinated, and emphasizing the anticipated regret of not having been vaccinated. Additionally, studies have shown that these strategies, while important, sometimes fail to reduce vaccine hesitancy. For this reason, some research has therefore focused on altruism.
Namely, one speaks of altruism in vaccination when the primary motive is to benefit others. A person, aware of vulnerable groups, gets vaccinated to protect them indirectly. Behavioral experiments have shown that altruism can increase vaccination intention in the population. We can promote this strategy with messages that evoke past experiences of dependency and vulnerability, emphasizing cooperation as a social norm and making visible the presence of vulnerable individuals in a given society. In short, get vaccinated: if you don’t do it for yourself, do it for others.
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– Why are vaccines important?
Yersain Keller – Master of Science, science popularizer