Most anti-vaccine folks think that nothing could ever change their minds and get them to vaccinate and protect their kids ever again.
Even if they don’t believe any of the current evidence that vaccines are safe and necessary, what if we showed them some new evidence?
Nope.
They have ‘woken up’ and won’t be convinced.
Do Anti-Vaccine Parents Ever Change Their Minds?
Of course, folks change their minds all of the time.
They learn to see past the myths and propaganda of the anti-vaccine movement and they eventually get their kids vaccinated.
Unfortunately, it sometimes takes an outbreak to get them motivated to do so, or their child actually catching a vaccine-preventable disease.
Remember the Disneyland measles outbreaks in California?
“I’ve given more measles, mumps, rubella vaccines in the past 10 days than I gave in the entire 12 months previously.”
Dr. Jay Gordon on Demand for Measles Vaccine Sends Crowds Even to Anti-Vax Docs
Other times, it is a good pediatrician who doesn’t pander to their fears, and instead, answers their questions about vaccines and helps them understand the risks (very small) and benefits (very big) of getting vaccinated and protected.
Or they might have a friend, family member, or other immunization advocate that helps them be more skeptical of the information and advice that is scaring them away from vaccines.
Remember. The great majority of parents vaccinate their kids. And those that don’t, do often change their minds.
More on When Anti-Vaxxers Change Their Minds
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- Why this former anti-vaxx influencer is getting the Covid vaccine
- How I Went From Dressing up as Measles to Hoping for My COVID Vaccines
- She Went Viral For Her Antivaxx Stance — Now She’s Asking Folks To Get Their COVID Vaccine
- 12 Years Ago I Stopped Vaccinating My Children. Then I Changed My Mind.
- Measles outbreak: How doctors can change anti-vaccine minds
- Demand for Measles Vaccine Sends Crowds Even to Anti-Vax Docs
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- I Used To Be Anti-Vaccine
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- I was Duped by the Anti-Vaccine Movement
- Learning the Hard Way: My Journey from #AntiVaxx to Science
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- I Didn’t Vaccinate My Child—And I Regret It
- From Anti-Vax to Pro-Vax – One Mom’s Journey
- “My Light Switch Flipped”: Megan McClure Discusses Leaving the Anti-Vax Movement
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- Why I’m Not Afraid to Admit I Used to Be an Anti-Vaxxer
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- How I Changed an Anti-Vaxxer’s Mind
- Seven ways to talk to anti-vaxxers (that might actually change their minds)
- How To Talk To Anti-Vaxxers, According To Moms Who Exited The Movement
- Can skeptical parents be persuaded to vaccinate?
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- Guide for Pediatricians for Talking to Anti-Vaccine Parents
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- AAP – Physician Communication With Vaccine-Hesitant Parents: The Start, Not the End, of the Story
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- Pediatrician-Parent Conversations About Human Papillomavirus Vaccination: An Analysis of Audio Recordings.
- Provider communication and HPV vaccination: The impact of recommendation quality.
- Communicating with parents about vaccination: a framework for health professionals
- Vaccine Rejection and Hesitancy: A Review and Call to Action
- Addressing heterogeneous parental concerns about vaccination with a multiple-source model: a parent and educator perspective.
- Immunization attitudes and beliefs among parents: beyond a dichotomous perspective.
- Identifying and Addressing Vaccine Hesitancy
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- Video – Vaccine Conversations that Work for Providers and Parents
I changed my mind. I have severe autoimmune disease, and I feared triggering one in my children. My first child had a bad reaction and I wasnt believed. It made me lose trust. It made me feel like they cared more about public health, than my child as an individual. I was stuck in an echo chamber filled with confirmation bias. Then COVID hit. And while it wasnt the virus itself that made me worry, it was the uncertain future. What if living standards go down? Will these diseases come rushing back like in other areas where this happened? Venezuela for instance. They had a pretty good living standard, and then it went down, and measles and diphtheria returned. I was taking advantage of high vaccination rates and good healthcare. It was time to look at what the other side says.
Thanks for dismantling every single antivaccine talking point Dr. Ianelli. My 3 kids (12,5, and 2) got their first shots last week. They didnt even react a little. No redness, no fever. They are fine. I am working with a very kind public health nurse and my kids will be caught up in a year.
I am not a stupid person. I was just a scared one. I have a degree in chemistry and even did quality control for a pharmaceutical plant. I know how much testing goes into pharmaceutical products, but I still let the anti-vax brigade scare me, because my own health experiences. It was really eye opening when I read articles on how they prey on grieving and scared mothers, to join their ranks as the most vocal opponents to vaccination.
For anyone reading this, ITS OK TO CHANGE YOUR MIND.