Name: Why rumors about vaccines spread -- and how to rebuild trust
Uploaded: 2020-08-13T14:51:02Z
Duration: 15 min 44 s
Description: Why do people distrust vaccines? Anthropologist Heidi Larson explores how medical rumors originate, spread and fuel resistance to vaccines worldwide. While vaccines cannot escape the "political and social turbulence" that surrounds them, she says, the first step to stopping the spread of disease is to talk to people, listen and build trust.

Heidi Larson: Why rumors about vaccines spread -- and how to rebuild trust

Why rumors about vaccines spread -- and how to rebuild trust

Why do people distrust vaccines? Anthropologist Heidi Larson explores how medical rumors originate, spread and fuel resistance to vaccines worldwide. While vaccines cannot escape the "political and social turbulence" that surrounds them, she says, the first step to stopping the spread of disease is to talk to people, listen and build trust.

Widespread resistance to vaccines is fueled less by misinformation and more by broken trust and social anxiety. In Nigeria, a single vaccine rumor cost 500 million dollars and spread polio to over 20 countries. Distrust flourishes in environments where governments, big business, and experts feel distant or unresponsive. Building real dialogue and empathy is key to keeping public health strong.