PIN141 SOCIAL MEDIA AND VACCINE HESITANCY: FOCUS ON MMR

Abstract

Vaccine hesitancy was listed as the number seven threat to global health by the World Health Organization in 2019 – a point exemplified by ongoing, preventable measles outbreaks. Today, it is easier than ever for anti-vaccination groups to share ‘fake news’ due to global internet and social media access. We investigated the impact of social media on vaccine uptake/awareness – using the measles mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine as an example. A structured literature search using Embase, Medline, PsycInfo and EBM reviews, utilising terms relating to MMR vaccination and social media/internet was conducted (limits: English language; 2009–2019). Supplementary online searches using no predefined search terms were conducted. Eighteen relevant studies were identified: the negative impact of social media was highlighted in eight whilst the remaining also highlighted a positive impact. Impact on vaccine uptake as a percentage was not identified – however, coverage was inversely correlated to internet search activity, Tweets and Facebook posts in one study and being influenced by the internet in another. Other negative factors included: inaccurate/false information being easier to access than accurate information when researching risks and anti-vaccination groups being more active than pro-vaccination – e.g. although a minority of social media posts/comments focused on anti-vaccination, they received more likes and were disproportionally represented on online forums. Websites with minimal user restriction (e.g. YouTube/Google versus Wikipedia/PubMed) correlated with a dominance of views linking MMR to autism. Positive impact was highlighted by: paediatrician bloggers accurately and frequently addressing vaccination myths; data accessed on social media often not being trusted and utilisation of social media in positive ways by pro-vaccination groups/governments. The potential positive and negative impact of social media on MMR uptake should not be underestimated. Efforts to reduce hesitancy and improve uptake should focus on leveraging social media to deliver scientifically accurate pro-vaccination messages.