Just a few years ago, I was opposed to vaccines. I felt that the risks of measles were being exaggerated when periodic outbreaks would occur. I refused to get my tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis booster when my doctor offered it, and I declined the flu shot every year. I particularly regret the decision regarding the flu shot. As a hospital employee at the time, though I worked in an area where I did not come into contact with patients, if I had caught the flu, I could have spread it, putting others at risk.
The measles outbreak underway in Clark County, Washington, and the cases reported in nine other states this year remind me of just how far my views have shifted. When I still opposed vaccination, I would have thought that I didn’t have to worry about measles because I lived a healthy lifestyle, or that the news was just being used to scare people into vaccinating unnecessarily. I can’t help but conclude that much of my reasoning was based on misleading or false information. But my experience is also a reminder that education and compassion can be valuable tools in the fight against anti-vaccination sentiment.
My reasons for being against vaccines stemmed mostly from misunderstanding vaccine ingredients and how they worked. People who tried to convince me not to vaccinate told me about the many ingredients in vaccines, such as polysorbate 80 and formaldehyde, but they did not explain their purpose. They advised me to read the vaccine package inserts without giving me an understanding of how to correctly interpret the information. I’d also become convinced that many vaccine reactions were overlooked and that they occurred much more frequently than documentation on vaccine safety showed.
What changed my mind? Finding people who were strongly in favor of vaccines and willing to discuss the topic with me. They corrected the misinformation I’d heard and responded to my concerns with credible research and other helpful information. They addressed my fears about children’s immune systems being able to handle vaccines, vaccine ingredients, safety testing and more.
Another hurdle I had to overcome involved the many stories about purported vaccine injuries that found their way into my news feed. I needed to understand why these stories, which appealed to my emotions, seemed so prevalent and compelling.
It is true that reactions to vaccines are possible, but serious reactions are rare. I learned that many of the stories presented as vaccine injuries have more to the story that is often not revealed in a short Facebook post. I realized that the frightening anecdotes I was seeing were no reason to doubt the accuracy and results of reputable studies that show vaccines are safe and effective.
Changing my mind and admitting this change to other people was not easy to do, and this process took place over several months. That said, starting from the point of doubting vaccines allows me to better understand friends who are hesitant to vaccinate, and in finding information about vaccines that alleviated my specific fears, the experience has made me even more convinced of the benefits of vaccines.
I hope that the current outbreak can be quickly brought under control and that those who have contracted measles will recover quickly and fully. My son, though fully vaccinated for his age, has not yet reached the age when he will receive the vaccine for measles, so he would be at risk if outbreaks were to occur near us.
I’m grateful to the people who helped me protect myself against misinformation and gave me the facts I needed to keep my family safe. But I can’t do it alone. We all need to get our vaccinations, not just for ourselves but also to protect people who truly can’t be vaccinated. We all need to be in this together.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
