Nature journal highlights research on vaccine hesitancy

Pia Vuolanto emphasises people’s personal concerns about vaccines in the interview she gave for Nature.

“People’s views and experiences should not be belittled of dismissed. Vaccine sceptics may have negative experiences of vaccines or doubts about their effects. Their questions may have gone unanswered by health professionals,” says Vuolanto who studies vaccine hesitancy.

One of the world’s most prestigious science journals Nature interviewed Vuolanto for a news feature on how to interact with vaccine sceptics. 

“Such conversations should be approached with respect. The reasons behind vaccine sceptics’ choices deserve to be heard, not dismissed. It is important not to enter these discussions with anger or frustration. If there is space for it in the conversation, sharing your own reasons for getting vaccinated and the sources you trust are a constructive starting point,” Vuolanto suggests.

Read about the VAX-TRUST research consortium that approaches vaccine hesitancy as a societal phenomenon where 10 consortium partners produced several policy recommendations for the 7 countries involved.