SITES. NBC’S KRISTEN DAHLGREN PICKING
UP THE STORY FROM THERE.
GOOD MORNING.
GOOD MORNING. >> GOOD MORNING, GUYS.
THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION
NOW CALLS VACCINE HESITANCY ONE
OF THE TOP TEN THREATS TO GLOBAL
HEALTH, AND ETHAN LINDENBERGER
SAYS HE SAW FIRSTHAND HOW
MISINFORMATION PUT HIM AND THE
PEOPLE AROUND HIM AT RISK.
>> MY MOTHER WOULD TURN TO
ANTIVACCINE GROUPS ONLINE AND ON
SOCIAL MEDIA LOOKING FOR HER
EVIDENCE AND DEFENSE RATHER THAN
HEALTH OFFICIALS AND CREDIBLE
SOURCES.
SOURCES. >> OHIO TEEN ETHAN LINDENBURGER
BLAMED SOCIAL MEDIA FOR HIS
MOM’S VIEWS ON VACCINATION.
WHEN HE TURNED 18 HE DEFIED HER
DOING HIS OWN RESEARCH AND
GETTING VACCINATED.
GETTING VACCINATED. >> WHERE DID YOU GET MOST OF
YOUR INFORMATION?
YOUR INFORMATION? >> NOT FACEBOOK, WORLD HEALTH
DEPARTMENT ORGANIZATION,
DEPARTMENT ORGANIZATION, SCIENTIFIC JOURNALS AND CITED
INFORMATION FROM THOSE
ORGANIZATIONS.
ORGANIZATIONS. >> I’D LOVE TO BE A GUEST AT
THANKSGIVING AT YOUR HOUSE.
>> Reporter: HEALTH EXPERTS SAY
IT’S NO LAUGHING MATTER.
SO-CALLED ANTIVAKSERS HAVE
BLANKETED SOCIAL MEDIA WITH
MISINFORMATION CAMPAIGNS AND
HUNDREDS OF ANTI-VACCINE
WEBSITES DESIGNED TO SCARE
FAMILIES.
FAMILIES. >> THE ONLY SCIENCE THAT’S
SETTLED IS THAT VACCINES HARM.
>> PARENTS WILL SAY I DON’T
REMEMBER GETTING A LOT OF
VACCINES WHEN I WAS A KID, AND
THE TRUTH OF THE MATTER IS YOU
DIDN’T.
DIDN’T. >> BY THE TIME WE GOT HOME, I
SAW A DIFFERENCE.
HIS DEMEANOR CHANGED.
HIS FACE, HIS EYES.
THERE WAS AN EMPTINESS, A
BLANKNESS TO HIS EYES.
>> Reporter: AND DROWN OUT REAL
SCIENCE AND INFORMATION.
>> THOSE ANECDOTES CAN TEAR AT
YOUR HEART, BUT THEY DON’T BRING
YOU TO THE PART WHERE YOU LEARN
THE SCIENCE BEHIND THE SAFETY OF
VACCINES.
VACCINES. >> SOME WORRY ANTIVACCINE
CAMPAIGNS MAY BE TO BLAME FOR
MEASLES OUTBREAKS IN 11 STATES,
MOSTLY AMONG UNVACCINATED
CHILDREN.
CHILDREN. IN THE FIRST TWO MONTHS OF 2019
THE CDC HAS REPORTED MORE CASES
OF MEASLES THAN IN ALL OF 2016
AND 2017 COMBINED.
>> IT’S A PUBLIC HEALTH
NIGHTMARE, ACTUALLY, BECAUSE
CHILDREN ARE ACTUALLY GETTING
THE DISEASES THAT WERE
ELIMINATED FROM OUR COUNTRY
YEARS AGO.
YEARS AGO. >> Reporter: RIGHT NOW MOST
STATES ALLOW RELIGIOUS
EXEMPTIONS TO VACCINATIONS AND
17 STATES ALLOW PERSONAL BELIEF
EXEMPTIONS.
EXEMPTIONS. UNDER GROWING PRESSURE TO COMBAT
MISINFORMATION, SOCIAL MEDIA
COMPANIES ARE TAKING ACTION.
YOUTUBE NOW POSTS EDUCATIONAL
LINKS ABOUT VACCINES BELOW ALL
ANTI-VAXX VIDEOS.
ANTI-VAXX VIDEOS. FACEBOOK SAYS IT TRIES TO FACT
CHECK VACCINE POSTS AND THOSE
WITH INACCURACIES RANK LOWER IN
PEOPLE’S FEEDS THAN TRUTHFUL
ARTICLES.
ARTICLES. AS FOR THE LINDENBERGER’S
ETHAN’S SIBLINGS STILL ARE NOT
VACCINATED.
VACCINATED. >> FOR MY MOTHER, HER LOVE,
AFFECTION AND CARE AS A PARENT
WAS USED TO PUSH AN AGENDA TO
CREATE A FALSE DISTRESS.
AND THESE SOURCES THAT SPREAD
MISINFORMATION SHOULD BE THE
PRIMARY CONCERN OF THE AMERICAN
PEOPLE.
PEOPLE. >> ETHAN’S MOM SAYS SHE RESPECTS
HIS DECISION AS AN ADULT, AND
SHE IS EXTREMELY PROUD.
FACEBOOK TOLD US IT’S WORKING ON
ADDITIONAL CHANGES TO COMBAT
VACCINE MISINFORMATION.
VACCINE MISINFORMATION. THOSE WILL BE ANNOUNCED SOON.
>> THANK YOU.
>> SPREADS LIKE WILDFIRE ON
THOSE SOCIAL MEDIA FOR SURE.
>>> WE ARE GOING TO BRING IN NBC
NEWS MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT
DR. JOHN TORRES TO TALK TO US
ABOUT ALL OF THIS.
>> I WAS TALKING TO YOU IN THE
BREAK AND ASKING IF PEOPLE WHO
GET -- THEY SAY IF YOU DON’T GET
VACCINATED YOU’RE THREATENING
OTHERS, AND I ALWAYS WONDER WHY
IS THAT?
IS THAT? BECAUSE THE OTHERS DO HAVE THE
VACCINE, SO WHY SHOULD THEY BE
AT RISK?
AT RISK? >> THERE ARE SOME KIDS THAT
CAN’T GET THE VACCINE.
THEY HAVE IMMUNE ISSUES TO BEGIN
WITH.
WITH. NO VACCINE IS 100% EFFECTIVE.
IF IT’S 70 TO 90% WE’RE VERY
HAPPY.
HAPPY. THAT MEANS IF YOU GET A VACCINE,
IF THERE’S ENOUGH PEOPLE THAT
HAVE THAT SAME INFECTION, LET’S
SAY MEASLES, THEN THERE’S A
CHANCE YOU COULD GET IT IF YOU
GET EXPOSED ENOUGH TO IT.
IT CAN SPREAD TO ONES WITHOUT
VACCINES AND OTHERS AS WELL.
>> LET’S TALK ABOUT SOME OF
THESE MYTHS.
THESE MYTHS. ONE IS THEY THINK THAT THE
VACCINES WILL BRING ON AUTISM.
WHAT ARE THE FACTS ON IT?
>> THAT’S THE ONE THAT STARTED
THE WHOLE THING BACK IN THE
’90s.
’90s. THERE’S A STUDY THAT HAS BEEN
DISPROVEN, A BAD STUDY.
MULTIPLE STUDIES HAVE SHOWN
THERE’S NO CONNECTION.
DENMARK RELEASED A STUDY THIS
WEEK, 600,000 CHILDREN THEY
FOLLOWED THEM FOR TEN YEARS,
THEY LOOKED AT THEIR VACCINE
SCHEDULE AND WHETHER THEY
DEVELOPED AUTISM.
DEVELOPED AUTISM. THEY FOUND OUT NO CONNECTION
BETWEEN THE TWO.
IN THE STUDY THOSE WHO RECEIVED
THE MMR VACCINE WERE 7% LESS
LIKELY TO DEVELOP AUTISM.
IT MEANS THERE’S NO CONNECTION.
>> ALL OF US HAVE SMALL
CHILDREN.
CHILDREN. WE’VE TAKEN OUR KIDS IN FOR
THESE VASCULAR NATIONS.CCINATION
IT CAN BE A BIT ALARMING.
THERE ARE A LOT OF FOLKS WHO
THINK AN INFANT’S BODY CAN’T
HANDLE THAT MANY VACCINATIONS.
>> AND THEY TALK ABOUT THE
IMMUNE SYSTEM.
IMMUNE SYSTEM. INFANT’S IMMUNE SYSTEM ISN’T
STRONG ENOUGH.
STRONG ENOUGH. THEY HAVE VERY STRONG IMMUNE
SYSTEMS TO BEGIN WITH YOU’VE
SEEN YOUR KID RUN AROUND, THEY
HAVE A TEMPERATURE OF 103, AND
THEY LOOK LIKE THEY’RE NORMAL.
THEY’RE VERY STRONG.
THEY CAN TAKE THESE SHOTS.
THEY GET EXPOSED TO THOUSANDS OF
GERMS EVERY DAY.
THESE SHOTS HAVE A FEW GERMS IN
THEM.
THEM. IT’S A SMALL PRANL OFERCENTAGE O
THEY GET EXPOSED TO.
>> THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO SAY THE
HUMAN IMMUNE SYSTEM IS BETTER
THAN ANY VACCINE.
>> IF YOU GET EXPOSED TO IT IT
IS BETTER.
IS BETTER. MEASLES HAS A 1 IN 500 DEATH
RATE.
RATE. THE VACCINE HAS A 1 IN MILLION
CHANCE OF GETTING AN ALLERGIC
REACTION.
REACTION. YOU HAVE TO LOOK AT THE BALANCE
THERE.
THERE. YOU HAVE TO BE EXPOSED TO DAILY
DISEASES TO BE PROTECTED FROM