Vaccination is a miracle of medicine and when it is made accessible and acceptable to people, it is the most appropriate way out in the fight against infectious diseases. Despite this, there is current evidence of the existence of anti-vaccine. This contradiction causes major disruptions in vaccination programs.
Anti-vaccine bias can stem from lack of knowledge, false religious beliefs, skepticism of pharmaceutical companies, or anti-vaccine misinformation, and the consequences are vital. Social media, in particular, plays a huge role in keeping vaccine fears alive, even in this age of strong evidence that vaccines are powerful and effective. Misleading and unscientific web pages, which have increased in number lately, spread fake news and conspiracy theories about the harmful effects of vaccines. So much so that different types of misinformation spread through social media have disturbing effects on vaccination.
Tremendous efforts have been made to invent an effective vaccine that may be the best measure to end the current COVID-19 pandemic. The effectiveness of these efforts will be possible with "herd immunity", which can be achieved by vaccinating 80-90% of a population. The biggest challenge in the face of herd immunity is that individuals in the community show anti-vaccine behaviors in the face of increasing hesitations about vaccination.
Opposition to vaccines can be found all over the world, from developed to developing countries. If anti-vaccine sentiments continue to spread and individuals hesitate to vaccinate, it is possible that there will be difficulty in achieving herd immunity. It should be noted that the effects of Covid-19 can only be reduced by effective vaccination policies.
“Vaccination is health, it cannot be neglected, it saves lives.”
Research Assistant Semanur Oktay
