Amina Ali
Unit 5: Perceptions of Science
Assignment 2: Science, the media and Public Perceptions
Task 2
How the media has influenced public perception of science
The MMR vaccination scandal
List of the concerns the public had
The MMR vaccine was link to Inflammatory bowel disease and autism.
Parents were unsure whether they should give their child the MMR vaccine.
Concerns lead to several parents not immunising their children.
Parents were concerned about their children’s health.
The safety of the MMR vaccinations.
There was a risk their child might become disabled in some way form MMR.
There was not enough reassurance to vaccinate their child.
Concerns that premature baby’s immune system may not be developed enough to handle
the MMR vaccination.
Babies with bowel problems and weak immune system may get worse with the MMR
vaccine.
Pervious reactions that their other children had, which they personally believed were
triggered by MMR, might occur in the currently vaccinated child.
Not enough available information on long-term side effects of the MMR vaccination.
About the ingredients of the MMR vaccines and that it is an attenuated live vaccine, which
they believed was too much for a baby body to cope with.
List of how the media influenced the MMR vaccination scandal
The media influenced the public by making them question the safety of the MMR vaccine.
The findings of Dr Wakefield’s study were first released at a televised press conference,
where he promoted the link between MMR vaccine and autism.
His study was small and scientifically weak however it received widespread high-profile
media coverage, which lead to drop in MMR vaccinations.
The headlines they used in the newspapers, ‘MMR doctor links 170 cases of autism to
vaccine’ attracted controversy and attention.
The newspapers were bias and quoted only Wakefield and his team, “For the vast majority
of children the MMR vaccine is fine, but I believe there are sufficient anxieties for a case to
be made to administer the three vacations separately.”
The media used Wakefield’s research paper to support his false claims because it was
published by The Lancet which was a respected medical journal.
The media published stories on the department of health, where they disregarded the many
research studies which supported the safety of MMR vaccines.
The articles portrayed Wakefield as a victim when he tried to voice his claims to ministers,
“the department's only response to his findings has been to undermine or ignore them.”
Even when The Lancet withdrew the paper in 2004, the media were still publishing articles
supporting the claims and the lawsuit.
It took the GMC more than five years to rule on Wakefield actions and the media’s coverage
of the lawsuit influenced public not to immunise their children.
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