A new book explores vaccine hesitancy in Nordic countries as vaccine-preventable deaths rise

In 2019, measles killed more than 200,000 people worldwide. In three years, casualties from measles, a disease preventable with vaccines, had increased by 70,000. The World Health Organization (WHO) confirms that vaccine-preventable diseases have increased globally. They point out two factors behind deadlier outbreaks: The first is a failure to vaccinate certain groups and communities due to lack of resources, organisation or logistics. Children are especially vulnerable to disease and at greater risk of deadly complications.

The second factor is personal reluctance or refusal to take the vaccine. Five years ago, WHO declared vaccine hesitancy a threat to global health. Unvaccinated populations risk mass outbreaks of preventable infectious diseases and jeopardise advancements in limiting contagion. Anti-vaccination sentiments have since grown, fuelled by the COVID-19 pandemic and augmented by digital and social media.

Why people hesitate or abstain from vaccination is the subject of a new anthology focusing on the Nordic countries. Most residents in the Nordics trust that vaccines are beneficial and effective. The sceptical minority lack this conviction. They either have negative experiences of vaccines or distrust government and scientific expertise in general.

"They have a research interest, but they are part of an already critical vaccine discourse," says Mia-Marie Hammarlin, one of the book's co-editors and a Senior Lecturer in Media Studies and Journalism at the Department of Communication and Media. "They are not necessarily 'anti-vax’ but may consume content from anti-vaccination organisations when searching for facts that confirm or dispel their worries."

Vaccine hesitancy is found on a spectrum that ranges from full acceptance of vaccines to complete rejection. Individuals may change their attitudes to vaccination throughout their lives, taking some or all vaccines during certain times and conditions while refusing them in others.

Vaccine doubters say that authorities disregard their criticisms, making them feel ignored or misunderstood as members of society. Mia-Marie Hammarlin suggests that healthcare professionals and public officials who meet vaccine-adverse people should treat them as people on a continuum.

"It's about acknowledging the person's experiences, listening carefully and not interrupting," she says. "Praise their endeavours in searching for information. A respectful approach is crucial to immunisation."

Other contributors from Lund University's Department of Communication and Media are Fredrik Miegel, who co-edited, and Joanna Doona.

Read or download the anthology Vaccine Hesitancy in the Nordic Countries Trust and Distrust During the COVID-19 Pandemic on taylorfrancis.com