Vaccines and Misinformation: A Public Health Battle

Abstract

Vaccination is one of the best of the effective forms of interventions in the public health sector but misinformation has emerged as one of the biggest obstacles to the high immunization rates in the entire world. Marketplace misinformation resulting in social media myths, conspiracy theories and vaccine hesitancy in Pakistan have made disease control and public health campaigns difficult. This paper will analyze how the problem of vaccine misinformation has expanded and shaped the public attitude and beliefs as well as uptake of immunization in Pakistan, using the simulated primary data. To measure the knowledge, attitudes and the misinformation sources of 500 females, there was a mixed-method approach that involved quantitative (via surveys) and qualitative interviews. The results suggest that 42 percent of people who participated in the research claimed that they were exposed to misinformation about vaccines either through social media, religious platforms, or even their friends or colleagues. The feeling of misinformation was associated with low rates of vaccination, a surplus of fear over side effects of vaccinations status and mistrust of health authorities. There was qualitative data that indicated that lack of awareness and access to good quality information and cultural beliefs complicate the issue. The authors reach the conclusion that the fight against misinformation should be based on synergies in relation to the field of the health of the population, in particular, the case of specially developed campaigns, working with local leaders, and restricting the content of social media sources.