6.1.2 SEE-I Model

State

Immunity through vaccinations has been proven to be more effective and safer than natural immunity for most individuals.

Elaborate

The political and religious division has led to a great deal of controversy surrounding vaccines, which seems to almost completely subvert the medical community and research that has been conducted. While not all anti-vaxxers are completely against vaccinations, there can be a multitude of hesitations about vaccines. This may result in delays when getting vaccinated and potentially lead to more outbreaks of certain diseases.

Exemplify

• Biology: The pushback of the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine sparked considerable backlash due to its alleged association with autism. The backlash stemmed from a publication in “The Lancet” by British former researcher and physician Andrew Wakefield. Wakefield used flawed research methods to draw conclusions. In 2013, the CDC published a study confirming that vaccines do not cause autism. The study focused on the number of antigens produced from vaccines during the first two years of a child’s life. The results showed that the total amount of antigen from the vaccine was the same between children with autism and those who did not have autism (DeStefano et al., 2013).
• Psychology: Misinformation and persuasion on social media are some of the biggest causes of vaccine misconception. A study by Mitra et al. (2016) found that many parents who choose not to vaccinate their children get their information from social media rather than from a professional source. It was also discovered that people who carry anti-vax ideas are more likely to use conspiratorial, group-focused language on social media. This attracts those who “show similar conspiratorial ideation and suspicion toward the government even before they start expressing anti-vaccine attitudes.”
• Political Science: In 2019, public schools began requiring more vaccines, and the suggestion to get seasonal flu shots was becoming strongly encouraged. However, with the COVID-19 pandemic also came conspirators and many others who questioned the “requirement” of the mandate. Similarly, the claim that the government is trying to gain control or track the abilities of the citizens of the United States is based on conspiracy and distrust of governmental authority.
• Ethical: A study conducted by the Departments of Sociology at both Columbia University and Stanford University measured the vaccination intentions of participants, their intentions to encourage others to vaccinate, and their trust in medical experts. The study found that these three ideas were significantly related to the individual’s religion. The universities then highlighted the religious identities of many medical experts, proving that their ideas are complementary to those of the participants. The results of the study concluded that “invoking common religious identities with medical experts can lead to increases in vaccination intentions and willingness to encourage vaccination…” (Chu et al., 2021).

Illustrate

The anti-vax idea is similar to when pest control comes to spray for bugs in a home in hopes of killing them. The homeowner could opt to use a more natural pest control method in hopes of deterring the bugs, though if pest control comes to spray for the bugs it would have a more effective, timely, and controlled result. However, if the homeowner experiences any kind of adverse effects from the pesticides being used, it might be more beneficial to continue trying to use natural methods. The pest control in this scenario can be compared to a vaccine. Individuals could hope natural immunity will be achieved if they get sick, whereas vaccines allow one to have a defense against the sickness beforehand and are more effective in achieving immunity. Just like the analogy, however, vaccination is not 100% effective or safe for every individual and some may need to take extra care when making a decision about their health. This is part of why herd immunity is so important: to protect those whose immune systems are already weakened or may not be able to get a vaccine.