As measles cases have spread in the US and a new outbreak of mumps has sickened at least 23 people in the northwest states of Idaho and Washington, much attention has been focused on parents who decline some or all vaccinations for their children.
Reuters Health reports that in Ashland, Oregan a quarter of kindergarteners started school last year without all their vaccinations, among the highest rates in the country. None of the community's public schools has the 92% of vaccinated kindergarteners needed to provide the so-called herd immunity that protects those who are vulnerable to infection.
But persuading the community's independent-minded, frequently affluent families to change their views is a perplexing task for public health officials, who are more used to helping the poorest and least educated parents find free or low-cost vaccinations than having to argue people out of deeply held convictions. So some are retooling their messages, meeting with families one-on-one, and toning down sometimes strident rhetoric.
"We needed to change our tone," said nurse Becky Sherman, project manager for the county's Ashland Immunization Team, which was set up in 2011. And, the report notes, the new approach may be working. Over the past three years, the number of unvaccinated or partially vaccinated school children in Ashland has dropped from nearly 30% to less than 25%, said Samuel Bogdanove, director of student services at the Ashland Public Schools.
A study published in 2014 looked at four arguments for parents who declined measles vaccinations for their kids. The researchers shared photographs of sick children, told of an infant who almost died, distributed information about the dangers of measles and debunked a feared link between the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine and autism. None of the messages worked. And the one shooting down the autism connection backfired.
"When you challenge people's beliefs they tend to try to defend them," said Dartmouth political scientist Brendan Nyhan, who worked on the study. "We should test the messaging we use to make sure it's not counter-productive." "Different parents need different types of information and they need information provided in a different way," said Amanda Cohn, deputy director for immunisation services at the CDC.
[link url="http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/02/12/us-usa-measles-vaccinations-idUSKBN0LF15E20150212"]Full Reuters Health report[/link]
[link url="http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/134/3/e675.abstract?sid=087a4aaa-ec0f-4eda-b504-314ae4ff8710"]Pediatrics abstract[/link]