blog on the recent anti-vaccine movements in Europe.
Vaccination is a choice every individual in the world has to make. The rise of the coronavirus in the world caused a great pandemic that affected the world from all angles, from economic to political. The pandemic came with significant and challenging restrictions and regulations that would curb the spread of the virus. For several months there was no hopefully cure until the design of the virus was a different virus. Vaccines such as Pfizer, BioTech, and Moderna, among others, have gained a market, leading to several countries buying them. New measures such as mandatory vaccination for every individual, lack of access to public areas without a vaccination certificate, lack of travel, among other restrictions, have led to the rise of anti-vaccine movements in Europe.
France and Italy are at the forefront of these anti movements to show that they do not agree with the mandatory vaccination for everyone, even young children. Additionally, several conspiracy stories have gunner fame showcasing how the vaccines are deadly and could lead to instant death as fuel for the movements. Some countries, such as France, believe that the vaccines could lead to abnormal medical conditions such as heart failure or failure of other body organs, leading to death. On the other hand, Italy disagrees with the vaccination of children, leading to protests. Noteworthy, political parties, especially those in France, have used this opportunity to fuel the public and invite them against the vaccine. Anti-vaccine movements in Europe have increased drastically, thus the need to address them for mass vaccination and herd immunity to be achieved in Europe.
- Effect of social media on the Anti-vaccine movements.
Social media allows individuals to express themselves by the right and freedom of expression that every individual has. Social media sites such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram allow individuals to air their views openly and thus gain followers. The main form of spreading information and sighting the anti-vaccine movements has been several social media sites, especially Twitter and Facebook. As social media sites posts about vaccinations, it directly affects people and determines whether or not they will be vaccinated. Moreover, as more social media sites posts about the given reasons as to why people should reject the vaccines, more people refuse the vaccination, thus acting as a setback in ending the corona pandemic. Several sites in Europe and Twitter trends have pointed out the harmful effects of taking the Pfizer vaccine showing that it may lead to heart failure. Such conspiracies affect different individuals, leading to the protests against vaccines.80% of the demonstrations in Europe are fuelled by social media information, which mostly has a small percentage of truthfulness. The largest protests against mandatory vaccination and vaccination in children have been rampant in France and Italy. The hesitance to get acts a setback as countries try to achieve herd immunity to resume the new normal of conducting business and other activities. As more protests come up, fewer people show up for the vaccination, especially in Eastern Europe.
- Fear of the side effects of the various vaccines
Notably, the side effects of the relevant vaccines are one of the primary reasons for the rise of the anti-vaccination movements. A study conducted in Europe points out that 77% of individuals have already been vaccinated but fear the side effects spreading on all social media sites.50 % of these individuals are not fully aware of the side effects but follow the groups as they believe they are right and have done the needed statistics. The side effects of the Covid vaccines, such as fever, chills, tiredness, myocarditis, pericardia, and, worst cases, affect women’s flow during their periods, leading to the death of those with underlying diseases p preventing individuals from getting vaccines. Additionally, several social media sites have pointed out and exaggerated the side effects of the given vaccines, pointing out that they could all lead to death. Such information and conspiracies have fuelled the different anti-vaccine movements leading to poor vaccination rates in Europe. In France, over 40% of individuals rejected the Pfizer vaccine even though some were not aware of the vaccine’s side effects. Any vaccine given has several side effects depending on the body of the vaccine, which acts as a response to the virus introduced to the body to stimulate an immune response. The little knowledge that the individuals have concerning how vaccines work leads them to spread false information, which is used to increase the number of protestors delaying the achievement of herd immunity in Europe.
- Lack of knowledge on the effects and working of the vaccines.
Lack of knowledge of the effects and how vaccines work is one reason that has led to the rise of the Anti-vaccine movements in Europe. A study conducted in Eastern Europe points out that 65% of all individuals do not know the mechanism of the different vaccines. Furthermore, the study highlighted that even those who can access the additional information have not taken their time to study the different types of vaccines keenly, how they how, their side effects, and how they can be reduced. 78% of individuals in Eastern Europe are not aware of why they take two shots of the given vaccines. The lack of knowledge around Europe makes it easy for individuals to follow the information provided on social media. The people who protest do not take their time to evaluate the different sites on social media and the information they give out to establish whether it is true or false.
Moreover, even those with good knowledge of the protestors choose to follow the masses. Protests in France against the vaccination of children pointed out that the effects may be worse in children and thus could lead to their death. These protests also highlighted that children do not pose any danger. Therefore, they should not be vaccinated. Such false information spreading around France has fuelled several movements. Therefore, there is a need for all individuals to have the correct knowledge of the vaccines to avoid following the masses and believing false information circulating on social media.
- Waiting for others to be vaccinated first.
The fear individuals have of the pandemic, and the vaccine is the hesitation to be vaccinated and engage in anti-vaccine movements. This fear has forced others to engage in protests as they wait for others to be vaccinated for them to go and get their vaccination. As they continue to wait and observe the side effects, the herd immunity achievement process is delayed. Statists point out that 45% of the people who participate in the protests are waiting for other people t be vaccinated before they can undergo any vaccination. Furthermore, the individuals fear that they may lose their families, friends, and loved ones if they are vaccinated. The constant fear and trauma caused by the pandemic prevent people from getting the vaccine, thus engaging in protests. This fear, coupled with the negative information on different social media sites, prevents individuals from going for the vaccines. A study conducted in Eastern Europe points out that fewer people are vaccinated because of the fear of the outcome and waiting for others to be vaccinated. This fear also prevents parents and guardians from taking their children above five years old for vaccination. Political parties have played a role in sighting and stopping people from getting vaccinated. In Belgium, several politicians have used this opportunity to continue spreading false information about the given vaccines reducing the number of people willing to get the vaccine.
- Political influence on the movements
Additionally, some politicians in Belgium have joined the anti-vaccine movements making their followers part of them. Some scholars point out that the rise in the protests is also caused by individuals who believe that less research was done on the vaccines, thus requiring meter research to be done on it. Others point out that even vaccinated ones are still being affected by the recent variants of Covid 19, such as deltacron and omicron. Such information spreading out on social media and the rise of Covid 19 variants every day, which affects both the vaccinated and the unvaccinated, adds to the many reasons anti-vaccine movements are rising in Europe.
Conclusively, Anti-vaccine movements have derailed the achievement of herd immunity in Europe. Europeans received the mandatory vaccination for everyone positively and negatively, increasing the disparity between those who wanted to be vaccinated and those against the vaccination. Social media plays a vital role in spreading false information around the globe, thus contributing to the rise of movements against immunization. Additionally, the fear of the side effects of Covid vaccination and the lack of knowledge on the effectiveness and mechanism of the different vaccines contribute to the Anti-vaccine movements. Political influence, waiting for a better vaccine, and the fear of how the vaccine will affect other families is among the key reasons that have led to the rise of the Anti-vaccine movements in Europe. For herd immunity to be achieved, social media sites should reduce the amount of false information they spread out; politicians should encourage vaccination, and individuals should get the proper knowledge concerning vaccines. Vaccinations for all individuals with side effects can be regulated for the common good.