A new study finds that between 35 and 40 percent of pregnant women and parents of young kids in the U.S. plan to fully vaccinate their child on schedule, including Covid and flu vaccines. Women in their first pregnancy expressed the most uncertainty about vaccinations, with 48 percent being unsure of how they would proceed in vaccinating their child.
MEGAN RANNEY; contact [email protected]
Ranney is an emergency physician, professor of medicine and public health, and dean of the Yale School of Public Health.
Ranney told the Institute for Public Accuracy: “It is always important to get a pulse on public sentiment, and this study in particular is quite interesting in how it surveyed pregnant people and parents. But it was frustrating and disturbing to see that only about a third of [respondents] felt sure that they were going to get their kids all recommended vaccines on schedule. It is a little difficult to interpret [these results], as they include Covid and flu vaccines. Covid and flu can be dangerous, but refusing a flu vaccine is not the same as refusing a polio or measles vaccine. It would be helpful to know what parents think without including Covid and flu, especially given heightened confusion due to current FDA and HHS recommendations. We are certainly seeing increases in both rates of vaccine delays and refusals.
“The data shows that once you have a kid, you’re less likely to be undecided about vaccines. That means there is an opportunity to educate folks during pregnancy.”
When thinking about vaccine hesitancy and its relationship to the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement, Ranney pointed out that “the folks affiliated with MAHA are not a monolith. People affiliated with MAHA have frustrations with the food system, with access to medical care. We can’t assume all MAHA are anti-vaccine or that vaccine hesitancy is only a problem of the right… I acknowledge the overwhelming scientific evidence that vaccines are safe and effective. But I also acknowledge that discourse from HHS is creating increased confusion.
“This is the first time in my lifetime as a physician and public health professional that there are conflicting recommendations from different groups. To my understanding, in the 1980s, there were some disparities between what the American Academy of Pediatrics and the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices were recommending. Since then, we are trying to figure out how to educate the public, respect parental autonomy, and maintain consistent clarity of messaging around the degree to which the benefits outweigh the risks for vaccines in general––and, particularly, clarity around the tremendous benefits of vaccines on the market, as well as those in development should the studies pan out. We’re in a communication environment that is challenging in a way that none of us have ever experienced before. That makes me worried for the health of kids and immunosuppressed people and communities. But this is where we are.”