Here's Why Vaccine Hesitancy Is A Growing Problem
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I'm Stephen Carroll, and this is Here's Why, where we take one news story and explain it in just a few minutes with our experts here at Bloomberg.

There have been several surprises in Donald Trump's choices for key roles in his administration, but his nominee to lead the health department has been particularly controversial. He's a virulent anti-vaccine activist. He's a science denialist and he's a conspiracy theorist. This is not the kind of person you want to head health agencies. I mean, he has said that no vaccine is a benefit. He has tremendous power over all Americans' day-to-day lives. He wants to make people healthy. It's driven him crazy.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has been vocal in his opposition to vaccines, notably during the COVID-19 pandemic. He was widely condemned for calling the shots a crime against humanity.

If he's confirmed, his position of influence on US health policy comes at a time when anti-vaccine sentiment has already undermined progress in tackling diseases such as measles. Cases jumped by 20% last year, exposing the gaps in vaccine coverage for a preventable illness. So here's why vaccine hesitancy is a growing problem. Sam Fazali, Director of Research at Bloomberg Intelligence, joins me now for more. Sam, this is...

This idea of being opposed to vaccines or sceptical or hesitant about them isn't new, but how far can we trace the sort of philosophy back? Generally, vaccine hesitancy, vaccine questions, as we all know, have been around like any other medicine, really, as soon as something is available. Right now, we have obesity drugs and lots of people are questioning about obesity drugs. So any new product, any new technology that comes along, there are sceptics. And sometimes that's

very useful because it pushes you to think harder, to make sure you have the data and the science backing the risk-benefit ratio. That is the critical element of any intervention that we do in our lives, risk-benefit ratio. Is there any concept that this sentiment is on the rise? What effect can we think that it has in terms of public health? There is evidence that the view of particularly parents with regards to childhood vaccinations is

in terms of negativity is rising. If you think back, we had that pseudoscientific paper that was published quite a long time ago suggesting that certain vaccines lead to autism. Of course, the study was flawed, the statistics were flawed, the analysis was flawed, and that's been proven over and over again.

But there is a tendency and there seems to be an increasing attitude toward, I don't want to expose my child to whatever it is that people think that they're doing negative for their kids, which of course is, as far as I'm concerned, super dangerous. I've got some stats for you on measles that we can talk about. Well, let's, because that's one of the ones that the WHO has particularly been warning about. Yeah. The data 2024 is still within it, right? 2023, there was a 20% increase in the cases of measles. Now, you

Remembering vaccines don't prevent infections. Vaccines prevent disease. And I think that's one of the things that perhaps people got a bit confused about. During COVID, you get your vaccinations and a few months later, you still get the COVID infection. You go, but why did that happen? I think perhaps we didn't communicate very well. So let's say measles. This infection, 20% increase.

could be a statistical fluke, but let's see how 2024 turns out. But there's definitely a trend toward increases. And we've heard stories around the UK where there are outbreaks and there've been some cases. But let me just say, before the vaccine came through, 2.6 million people a year were dying. 1963. Imagine how what their world population was at the time. Now, much larger. And so far, last year or this year, we've only had 107,000 deaths. Only

I mean, you know, that's obviously a single death is bad. But so this is something where vaccines really stand out in medical treatments. For people who are hesitant or unsure about vaccines, how much trust can we have in the process that leads to their approval? This was part of the conversation around COVID as well. It appears that the process moved much quicker in that case. Yeah, I mean, don't forget COVID, we were in a pandemic.

Let's say, and I'm not saying it will, let's say Mpox becomes the new smallpox, right? What are we going to do? We have to get vaccinations out as fast as possible to prevent the ultimate millions of deaths that will occur. That is a very specific period. So COVID was a very special situation. People should not assume that. Vaccines used to take years to get to market previously, and they continue to be the case now. That was a special period.

Vaccines go through significant rigour because by definition you're giving something, a medical intervention, to a healthy person. So you need to be absolutely sure, as much as humanly possible, of its safety. What can be done then to counteract the sentiment? If we can place more emphasis on the rigour...

of these approval systems for vaccines to trust people they're safe. Is there more messaging that we can do to ensure people know and can trust in vaccines? I think good, high-quality scientific messaging that is acceptable, understandable by people, not...

bamboozling them with strange terminology and data and really just highlighting the sorts of stats that are just given. 1963, 2.6 million deaths. Last year, 107,000 from measles. These are facts that people need to know. It's not that measles virus has disappeared. The virus has always stayed with us in some form or another. So that's the question. I mean, we have got rid of one, which was smallpox.

But this is what people need to understand. Let's give them more information and be ready there to coolly converse with folks that are sceptical. How much influence could someone in charge of the Health and Human Services Department in the United States have on vaccine uptake if the messaging is coming from a different point of view? Significant, significant. So, I mean, you know, even if the FDA approves a vaccine, I think the head of the HHS can have an influence on it actually being able to launch.

actually being able to use. This is a very powerful position. And I'm hoping, given that RFK Jr. has some very good views about food additives, the types of food that are consumed, that logic will prevail over mythology, if that's the best phrase I can use.

Part of your day job is researching pharmaceutical companies. I wonder how they approach this issue of hesitancy around uptake of vaccines. Yeah, look, pharma companies are there to make a profit. They're there to get their product to market faster and keep it on the market for longest. The agencies, the FDA, the European Agency for Medical Regulation and Approvals, they are there to gatekeep.

I'm not saying pharma companies do bad things, but there is a significant barrier between a company who's incentivized to get its products to market, which in a majority of the times they do with good conscience. There is a barrier. There is a significant filter with the public. And that's what these agencies are for. That is where we hope that the HHS and the new administration that's coming into the U.S. doesn't undermine that ability.

Yes, remove red tape, but don't undermine the critical nature of their work, which is safety. Thanks to Sam Fazzelli, Director of Research at Bloomberg Intelligence. For more explanations like this one from our team of 2,700 journalists and analysts around the world, search for Quick Take on the Bloomberg website or Bloomberg Business app. I'm Stephen Carroll. This is Here's Why. I'll be back next week with more. Thanks for listening.

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