How to Prevent Your Friends From Becoming Vaccine Opponents
When it comes to misinformation, a person believes not so much in what they read as in who they trust. If that someone in your life is preparing to become a parent, you can help him not fall down the rabbit hole against the anti-axer.
One way is to spread positive statements, such as the South Carolina-based NPR’s Kim Nelson, Parents for Vaccinations, on moms Facebook groups. She wrote: “Great job, mom!” if someone said that their child had been vaccinated today.
But that doesn’t mean you have to wait for your friends to have kids to make such comments. People begin to form their opinion about caring for babies while they are still pregnant or even when they are thinking about pregnancy. It is rare that someone’s midwife starts talking about vaccines, and by the time a new parent comes to the pediatrician, their opinion is often already accepted. It’s a shame because pediatricians are a great source of information about the risks and benefits of vaccines.
A few extreme anti-Vaxes aside, most parents just try to do their best for their kids. So if someone they trust (like their natural parenting friends) starts talking about the risks of vaccines, they can focus on those risks. This can lead to abandonment of some or all of the vaccines, or uncertainty about what to do, and slower decision-making. (Better to get vaccines on time; extended schedules do more harm than good .)
So if you have kids of your own, share their pictures (on social media or in person) as a normal happy milestone. Heck, share your dog’s rabies shot or your own flu shot to remind those lurking on your schedule that vaccines are important to you. And if you have the knowledge and patience, offer to talk to parents and parents to be in your social circle about the risks of not vaccinating. The story of how you made a thoughtful decision for yourself or your child is a powerful story that almost any parent-to-be would be grateful to hear.