The neoliberal roots of modern vaccine hesitancy
Journal Title: Journal of Health and Social Sciences - Year 2019, Vol 4, Issue 2
Abstract
Popular resistance to vaccines is not a new phenomenon and has been widely documented by medical historians. The latest iteration of this resistance, however, is popularly referred to as ‘vaccine hesitancy’ and reflects a host of beliefs and social and institutional influences. While it may be tempting to dismiss the views of those who resist vaccines, immunization policies and practice cannot be devised in isolation from the contemporary political and social landscape. Understanding the socio-political meanings that lay people assign to vaccines and the manner in which they communicate these concerns via media is essential for public health practitioners to consider when formulating immunization policy and education praxis. One such meaning that, to date, has received relatively less attention is the socio-political ideology of neoliberalism. We argue that the undercurrent of neoliberal sensibilities expressed in media stories points to another key social factor that must be considered when seeking public health solutions to the growing vaccine hesitancy movement.
Authors and Affiliations
Chris Sanders, Kristin Burnett
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP612752
- DOI 10.19204/2019/thnl4
- Views 85
- Downloads 0
Impact of diet on vitamin D status in a Sri Lanka-based sample of pregnant women
Introduction: Vitamin D deficiency is common during pregnancy in Asian countries. However, there is little knowledge about vitamin D status of pregnant mothers and, therefore, supplements are not routinely provided in pu...
An explanatory case report about critical differences of ‘inability to work’ in Italian welfare and social security systems
In Italy, there is a different status of ‘inability to work’ in civil invalidity and INPS social security insurance systems. These differences and overlaps cause some concerns. We show a case report of a 55-year-old woma...
Towards the Universal Health Coverage in Ghana: An exploratory, cross-sectional study on the National Health Insurance Scheme
Introduction: This study is aimed to analyze the progress towards the attainment of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) in Ghana after the establishment of the ‘National Health Insurance Scheme’ (NHIS), which is a universal...
The neoliberal roots of modern vaccine hesitancy
Popular resistance to vaccines is not a new phenomenon and has been widely documented by medical historians. The latest iteration of this resistance, however, is popularly referred to as ‘vaccine hesitancy’ and reflects...
Liposarcomas of the hypopharynx: a systematic review of the literature
Introduction: Liposarcomas are considered the most common type of soft tissue sarcoma in adults. They represent approximately 20% of all mesenchymal malignancies and most frequently involve the retroperitoneum, trunk and...