this post was submitted on 25 Nov 2023
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Online anti-vaxxers, conflating Covid and MMR theories, are convincing parents against immunising their children

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[–] HeartyBeast@kbin.social 3 points 11 months ago

It's mainly the consequence of a resurgence in the Andrew Wakefield nonsense around MMR from years ago. Wakefield is, of course a charlatan who falsified data, had a commercial interest in his narrative and was subsequently struck-off.

The mRNA vaccines for Covid-19 were indeed fast-tracked through approvals - not surprising in the a global pandemic - but were still throughly tested for their ability to reduce serious illness and were very effective. The number of people who suffered adverse affects, compared with the number of people helped is tiny.

You'll remember, of course that vaccines weren't and aren't compulsory. I was privileged to work at a vaccine hub during the first lock down - in charge of managing the queues of people who had booked in to get a jab.