In Jordan, a vaccine scare followed hard on the heels of a scare about water contamination, with major consequences. A key component of this is representing themselves in ways that generate the confidence and trust of the public. It is no longer sufficient for professionals to be factually correct or simply insist that vaccination is ‘safe’– they are often required to address complex questions and provide detailed information in a credible and well-informed manner. As a result, members of the public may be overwhelmed by conflicting information on vaccine safety.ĭiscussions about vaccine safety now must contend with this new era. Although access to health-related information has improved, helped by the internet and social media, exposure to both misleading and inaccurate information as well as credible information occurs.

Until very recently, communication with the public by health professionals and vaccine manufacturers has often been on a paternalistic basis: “We know what is best for you.” However, as health literacy has improved, many members of the public have legitimate questions around vaccine safety, which health professionals can help to address. This again underlines the importance of a correct assessment of causality. Even when scientific evaluation has been correct, the public has been swayed by other factors. At times, mishandling of public information has resulted in a reduced public acceptance of a vaccine. Sadly, health professionals have not always handled public announcements about such matters very well and the debate has often spilt over into the political arena and policymaking. Yet these reports have had a major influence on public debate and opinion-making. While generating provocative hypotheses, the studies on which these reports are based have generally not fulfilled the criteria needed to draw conclusions about vaccine safety with any degree of certainty. Certain reports of adverse events following immunization (AEFIs) published in the medical literature over the past few years have resulted in controversy. As vaccine preventable diseases are seen less commonly, the public has become more concerned with vaccine safety.

While vaccine manufacture and administration have been getting progressively safer over the last 30 years, the perception of the public has been changing. Macartney, in Reference Module in Biomedical Sciences, 2017 Public Perceptions of Vaccine Safety

Vaccine production