We need to meet the anti-vax population where they are. Shouting “You’re wrong!” may make people dig in even harder.
Let this sink in: Diseases we’ve already eradicated may now be our biggest threats. That’s right: The World Health Organization lists vaccine hesitancy as one of the top health threats of 2019.
And here’s where health communicators come in: Knowledge management is the process of collecting and curating knowledge and connecting people to it so they can act effectively. It is key to improving global health, according to K4Health, part of the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs.
People who choose not to vaccinate their kids, sometimes called anti-vaxxers, are not malicious. Instead, their decision likely stems from misinformation and concern for their kids.
Misinformation about vaccine safety spreads like wildfire and morphs into gibberish, much like the phrase “I’ll take a banana” becomes “Mom loves hyenas” after a child’s game of “Telephone.”
Craft communications that speak to the underlying reasons people hesitate to vaccinate:
Predict what questions or concerns may exist in your community if or when there is an outbreak or a proposed vaccine-related policy. Prepare and share meaningful answers to questions such as:
Recently I wrote a vaccine-related blog post for a client. I stumbled on a CNN video that used a simple graph to show that the vaccine load (the amount of vaccine we give kids in each shot) has decreased significantly since the 1960s. The incidence of autism, however, continues to increase.
For me, it was an “Aha!” moment (we love Aha! moments at Aha Media Group), because it was a compelling argument I hadn’t heard before.
Ask your experts if they have new ways of presenting pro-vax information. Make it your mission to tell a story differently than it’s been told before.
Don’t be afraid to take a stand. Physicians take the Hippocratic Oath, part of which says: “I will prevent disease whenever I can, for prevention is preferable to cure.”
Your institution is armed with indisputable evidence. Share the importance of immunization on your institution’s many channels. For example:
Example: Cleveland Clinic used an infographic to show their stance on immunizations.
See the Example
One of the best ways to engage a weary audience is to speak their language, so find people fluent in how anti-vaxxers think:
What not to do: Do not give air time to personal stories of people who are anti-vaccination. There aren’t two “sides” to this debate. When you share an anti-vax story, you lend it credibility. That’s why Pinterest restricted anti-vaccine search results, and other social channels are trying to find ways to curb the spread of misinformation related to vaccines.
Do you need help communicating about why vaccines matter? We know how hard it is to keep on top of changing healthcare topics. Consider hiring us to help you stay on top of healthcare stories in the news.
In our latest ebook, we explain how to craft caring, empathetic copy for 5 tough healthcare topics:
Download the “Writing About Difficult Healthcare Topics” ebook for tips and strategies for approaching each of these subjects with sensitivity.
