Childhood vaccines face scrutiny as public trust in vaccination declines

This week, a new study demonstrates RSV vaccine effectiveness as regional health freedom groups oppose tetanus vaccines and vaccination requirements for organ transplants.

New data highlighting declining trust in COVID-19 vaccines and a host of recycled myths about vaccine safety took center stage in this week’s vaccine conversations. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. reaffirmed his anti-vaccine views while promoting several vaccine safety myths. Meanwhile, a health survey found that a growing number of the U.S. population believes false claims about COVID-19 vaccine safety and confusion about RSV vaccination continued to circulate online.

Regionally, social media users criticized updated COVID-19 vaccines, and health freedom groups attempted to discredit COVID-19 and tetanus vaccines.

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What’s trending nationally in vaccine conversation:

In an interview posted online last week, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. continued to use his large platform to promote false claims about childhood vaccines. Kennedy falsely stated that vaccines cause autism, claiming that over 400 studies have found a link. He also claimed, without evidence, that it’s virtually impossible for a healthy child to die from measles, that WHO says that vitamin A is an “absolute cure” for the disease, and that “lots of studies” show that people who had measles as children are healthier and more resistant to cancer and heart disease. But Kennedy didn’t limit his false claims to routine childhood vaccines; he also claimed on social media that COVID-19 vaccines are unsafe and ineffective for young children. 

An August 15 Annenberg Public Policy Center report found that a rising percentage of the U.S. population believes false claims about COVID-19 vaccine safety and are unwilling to get vaccinated. More than one in five believe that getting COVID-19 is safer than getting vaccinated, and 28 percent believe the vaccines have caused “thousands of deaths.” Acceptance of false claims about the vaccines has increased since 2022, including the belief that COVID-19 vaccines alter DNA, which nearly doubled from 8 percent to 15 percent. As distrust in COVID-19 vaccines rises, the willingness to get vaccinated has unsurprisingly fallen. Only 20 percent of respondents were concerned that they or a loved one might get COVID-19, and less than half said they were likely to get an updated COVID-19 vaccine. Responses to the survey expressed distrust in pharmaceutical companies as well as in COVID-19 and other vaccines. 

A new CDC study found that RSV vaccination in older adults significantly reduces their risk of hospitalization. Published in JAMA on September 4, the research found that RSV vaccination was 75 percent effective against RSV hospitalization in adults 60 and older and equally effective in adults 75 and older. Most social media responses to the study were positive or neutral, with many curious about who should get the vaccine, how often, and if they can be combined with other vaccinations. One post also questioned if the vaccine is safe for pregnant adults, apparently confusing RSV vaccines for older adults with the vaccine for pregnant people.

Read the fact checks: 

• Stanford Medicine Children's Health: Why Childhood Immunizations Are Important 
• Infectious Diseases Society of America: Understanding Vaccine Safety 
• CIDRAP: RSV vaccine 75% effective against hospitalization in older adults, CDC study estimates

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What’s happening in the Northeast:

On September 5, a self-described “alternative news source” shared a video of New York Governor Kathy Hochul getting an updated COVID-19 vaccine and encouraging other New Yorkers to do the same. The video garnered over 185,000 views and hundreds of comments expressing negative attitudes and false claims about COVID-19 vaccines. Some posts speculate that the governor didn’t actually get vaccinated, while others insist that the pandemic is a “scam” and that COVID-19 is the same as the flu.

What’s happening in the South:

A Texas-based health freedom group accused Texas Children’s Hospital of denying organ transplants to two children who had not received COVID-19 vaccines. The allegations were reportedly made by the children’s parents, who reached out to the group seeking legal assistance. Social media users criticized the policy as discriminatory, advocating for laws that would prevent health care providers from denying care based on vaccination status.

What’s happening in the Midwest:

A social media post from a Kansas-based health freedom group warned followers to “not be fooled” about tetanus vaccination. The post includes an image claiming, “There is no such thing as a tetanus shot,” because the vaccine is only given in combination with other vaccines and criticizes the CDC’s recommendation for a tetanus booster for adults every 10 years. One response to the post insinuated that the recommendation is profit-motivated, and another complained about doctors recommending the vaccine after animal bites. 

What’s happening in the West:

Oregon’s measles outbreak continues to dominate regional vaccine conversations across social media platforms. According to the Oregon Health Authority, all 32 measles cases reported this year have been in unvaccinated people, prompting some social media users to express frustration at people who refuse to get vaccinated. Health officials continue to urge Oregon residents to ensure that they and their children are up to date on their vaccinations.

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Talking points for public health professionals 

Each week, the Infodemiology.com team will provide messaging recommendations in response to some of the trending narratives outlined above. Use these helpful tips when creating content, updating web pages and FAQs, and to inform strategy for messaging about vaccines.

Persistent false narratives about routine vaccine safety—propagated by anti-vaccine figures with large platforms—contribute to a decline in vaccine confidence. Talking points may highlight that measles is a unique disease that can cause immune amnesia, which reduces the immune system’s ability to fight other diseases. Explaining that vaccination is the best and safest way to prevent measles is recommended. Debunking messaging may emphasize that decades of research have found no link between autism and MMR vaccines and that children are diagnosed with autism at the same rates regardless of vaccination status.

Rising distrust in COVID-19 vaccines underscores the pervasiveness and real-world harms of vaccine misinformation. Messaging may emphasize that COVID-19 infection can cause severe illness, long-term complications, long COVID, and death and that vaccination significantly reduces these risks. Debunking messaging may explain that claims that COVID-19 vaccines cause sudden deaths or alter DNA are anti-vaccine myths with no basis in reality. Billions of people worldwide have been safely vaccinated over the last four years with no evidence of widespread safety concerns. 

A new study found that RSV vaccination is 75 percent effective against hospitalization for older adults, highlighting the importance of vaccination to protect against RSV during respiratory virus season. Emphasizing that older adults are at the highest risk from RSV is recommended, as is highlighting that RSV causes between 60,000 and 160,000 older adults to be hospitalized and kills between 6,000 and 10,000 older adults annually. The CDC recommends that adults 75 and older and those aged 65-74 who have certain underlying conditions receive one RSV vaccine dose every two years.

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