In Brazil, childhood vaccination is part of the set of public policies of the Unified Health System (SUS) with the objective of reducing the spread of illnesses such as Hepatitis A and B, polio and tetanus. The current problem is unique: with the increase in false news and misinformation on the subject, childhood vaccination numbers are lower than expected.
Read more: Is it recommended to drink alcohol after taking the vaccine?
see more
After hacker attacks, Microsoft releases free tools for…
'Barbie' movie predicted to boost Mattel profits…
Vaccination is important, especially for children, as it keeps the child's body protected against viral and bacterial diseases. In addition, it contributes positively to the reduction of infant mortality and the control of outbreaks and epidemics.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, this subject became even more commented, considering that several disinformation campaigns have attributed to vaccines some harmful side effects for the body. This caused adherence to the vaccination program to be lower in children.
In the scientific community, this phenomenon is documented in research published in the journal Vaccine. Resistance to vaccination against the virus was detected due to massive campaigns with misinformation on the subject on social networks.
In the United States, only 31% of children aged 5 to 11 years received a dose of the vaccine against Covid-19, while 78% of adults were immunized.
According to the scientists' conclusion, this result expresses a supposed lack of credibility in the safety of vaccination. Adults understand that it is better to take the risks of possible side effects from vaccines than to administer immunizers to younger people.
With regard to Covid-19, several false news circulated attributing the vaccine to an increase in the chance of developing infertility, DNA alteration and even an increased risk of contracting certain diseases.
In Brazil, in June 2022, about 40% of children had not yet been vaccinated. According to the Ministry of Health, this number is equivalent to approximately 8 million young people aged 5 to 11 out there without the immunizer.
According to Renato Kfouri, who is part of the Brazilian Society of Pediatrics, the reasons that explain the low adherence to childhood vaccination are related to groups that purposely spread misinformation, as it was the what provoked the increase in distrust of the population about the immunizer.
The fight against this phenomenon is the search for valid information in official channels and a check of sources that spread news responsible for harming public health campaigns, especially in vaccination childish.
