A number of new parents have been given misinformation about vaccines on social media, according to a new report.
The report finds that the most common reason not to vaccinate is the fear of side-effects.
The Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) published the report and chief executive Shirley Cramer said, ''We need to counteract health misinformation online and via social media.''
She continued, ''We call on the social media giants and the platforms to look at what they could do around this because it is a breeding ground for misleading information and negative messaging. There could be some really negative and dangerous consequences. They need to take some responsibility.”
The parents of newborn babies are targeted by “Anti-vaxx” groups via social media, posting stories that claim babies have died or been harmed by vaccination.
There is a US group called Stop Mandatory Vaccination, run by Larry Cook, was censured by the UK’s advertising watchdog in November in relation to a paid-for Facebook post, after a complaint by the mother of a young baby in the UK.
The post said, ''Parents, not only can any vaccine given at any age kill your child, but if this unthinkable tragedy does occur, doctors will dismiss it as ‘sudden infant death syndrome’ (Sids),” alongside a picture of a baby with his eyes closed with his apparent name and date of birth – and death. It urged readers to join the Facebook group.
In response to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), the anti-vaxx group said it “targeted users with an interest in parenting because they intended to cause parents some concern before choosing to vaccinate their children”.
The post was ruled by the ASA as misleading advertising and likely to cause distress to parents who are looking for factual information about the risks of vaccinating their children.
Cook did not comply with the ruling so the ad in question was removed.
However, the power to censor are limited so the battle to control this harmful misinformation continues.
