Abstract
In Australia, the National Immunisation Program and its Standard Vaccination Schedule are administered by the Australian Government Department of Health. While the public vaccination program’s safety and worth are generally agreed upon by doctors and public health professionals, some continue to see vaccinations as a source of danger and harm. The burden of vaccination in order to receive public services aligns government and medical interests, but a less-than-trusting public may see conspiracy in such requirements, resulting in vaccine hesitancy. The media’s attention to the topic, and a tendency toward misinformation on the part of anti-government opinion leaders, necessitate additional exploration of the administrative burden of vaccinations in an increasingly complex policy environment, where public health benefits are weighed against individual freedom and belief. This paper examines vaccinations as a burden, with costs in compliance, learning, and psychological terms, using posts from the social networking site Twitter as a corpus for exploratory content analysis in the specific case of Australia and its requirements. It is worth considering whether the positive aspects messaged by public health professionals are successfully entering into the discourse on vaccinations.
Highlights
In Australia, the National Immunisation Program and its Standard Vaccination Schedule are administered by the Australian Government Department of Health
The media’s attention to the topic and a tendency toward misinformation on the part of anti-government opinion leaders necessitate additional exploration of the administrative burden of vaccinations in an increasingly complex policy environment, where public health benefits are weighed against individual freedom and belief
The term vaxxer, as in anti-vaxxer, a derogatory term for those sceptical of vaccines and immunisation programs, was included as there is a tendency in the media to utilize the term; while a biased term, its inclusion may allow for uncovering of underlying administrative burden in the immunisation program
Summary
In Australia, the National Immunisation Program and its Standard Vaccination Schedule are administered by the Australian Government Department of Health. Public vaccination programs are generally considered safe by doctors and health professionals, but some members of the public continue to see vaccinations as a source of danger and harm. The problem is potentially made worse by mandates for vaccination in order to receive public services; such mandates may serve larger public health objectives, but may encourage the growth of conspiracy theories, resulting in vaccine hesitancy. The media’s attention to the topic and a tendency toward misinformation on the part of anti-government opinion leaders necessitate additional exploration of the administrative burden of vaccinations in an increasingly complex policy environment, where public health benefits are weighed against individual freedom and belief
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