EDITORIAL - A rising distrust

If the Department of Health is to be believed, there isn’t just a distrust for the COVID-19 vaccine, but also a general distrust for vaccines in general among Filipino parents.

In a report in this newspaper, DOH-7 regional director Dr. Jaime Bernadas said there has been an observable decline in immunization of vaccine-preventable diseases since 2014, even way before this global pandemic started.

Bernadas was here recently for the launch of the community-based catch-up routine immunization at a local mall. It was during the event that he also said that for this year they recorded the lowest percentage in their immunization drive for children in Central Visayas, roughly only 20%.

This rising distrust in vaccines, not just for COVID-19, but for all vaccines in general, is something to be concerned about.

In early 2020, the Philippines saw a resurgence in polio, a disease that had been unheard of in the country since 2000 and most of the world even earlier. Who became victims of this resurgence? Children who had not been vaccinated against polio despite all the opportunities given to their parents.

However, this isn’t just about polio now. According to the DOH, the decline is also for vaccines against common children’s diseases like measles, rubella, tetanus and diphtheria. While these can kill, these are all practically preventable and at an early age too.

The DOH blamed misinformation and fake news for the decline in vaccine confidence of parents.

If parents continue to pay attention to rumors and fears and ignore science and logic, they run the risk of exposing their children to diseases that could have otherwise been prevented and viruses that would have already been considered no longer a threat.

In choosing to do so they are practically risking their children’s lives.

We all have a part to play in preventing this, particularly in the sharing of the right information and stopping the spread of harmful and false rumors. The fact that misinformation and fake news seems to spread faster than legitimate facts makes this task even more urgent.