As a health educator, I conducted interviews with a few New Jersey residents from different educational backgrounds and occupations to better understand what the public thinks about vaccinations. They shared several doubts about vaccines and miseducation about how they work. A few of their comments resonated with me.
A college student told me, “Vaccines get you sick. It doesn’t protect you against anything.”
An educator – a local history teacher – said, “Vaccines are created so the pharmaceutical companies can profit on our fears of getting sick.”
How did we get to this point of doubt? How can we change the perceptions of individuals so we can have safe havens for schools and healthier communities throughout our nation?
It’s apparent that despite our accessibility to a vast amount of information, when it comes to prevention methods, there are still myths and stigmas present. As a health educator who strives to increase health awareness, I must address these stigmas providing accurate information with the hopes of increasing positive health behaviors.
Within the last year, according to the Center for Disease Control(CDC), there were 17 outbreaks of measles within the United States. Of these outbreaks, there were 33 cases found in New Jersey. The primary sources of the measles cases found in New Jersey, and the surrounding areas in New York State, is believed to have started with a person who traveled to Israel and was exposed to the virus. The cases that followed occurred mostly in unvaccinated members of the Orthodox Jewish communities, according to the CDC.
Other sources of the outbreaks found in the United States were associated with travelers coming from other countries.
New Jersey has confirmed that its outbreak is over, but there should still be concern among its residents. From Jan. 1 to Feb. 7, there were101 outbreaks found in 10 states, and data is still being collected and updated weekly.
What can we possibly do to stop these outbreaks? The best solution is to get vaccinated.