Biologist Oblasova On The Anti-vaccine Phenomenon: "millions Of Flies Cannot Be Wrong"

Biologist Oblasova on the anti-vaccine phenomenon: "millions of flies cannot be wrong"

The author of the vaccination blog @ninavaccina, director of the ANO "Collective Immunity" Antonina Oblasova explained the reasons for the often universal belief in the opponents of vaccination and answered the questions of the Medical Portal regarding vaccinations during the ongoing World Immunization Week.

Why do anti-vaccines continue to be believed?

It seems to me that this is due to the lack of high-quality and accessible information. Nature abhors a void and any gaps in knowledge are filled with what a person sees regularly. I have never seen a pro-vaccination mailing list in WhatsApp, but there are a lot of horror stories about vaccinations. Once you miss it, the second time you doubt, the third time you decide to figure it out, and with the very first search query you will be taken to a site that will tell the whole “truth” about vaccinations, which is certainly “hidden”. Charisma, emotionality, but at the same time the activity and organization of anti-vaccination communities does their job. I think mentality is also important. We are accustomed to the fact that something is always hidden from us, so we have no doubt about this thesis. The large number of these groups also plays into the hands. After all, millions of flies cannot be wrong.

Are you hoping for improved attitudes towards vaccinations due to the COVID pandemic?

It seems to me that there will be some kind of castling. Someone will think about their vulnerability to infections and decide to protect themselves and their children to the maximum, but another part of the doubters, and perhaps much more, will become a victim of conspiracy theories and vice versa will turn into complete denial. Now this boat is rocked very much.

How ethical is it to infect volunteers with COVID to receive the coronavirus vaccine? Are you on the side of time? Or on the side of ethics in this matter?

Have you heard about the minecart problem? I think she perfectly illustrates our situation. Medical research is a highly regulated area today, but every rule it contains is built on bones at a time when medicine was very different. On the other hand, in such conditions, it is almost impossible to do something quickly. This is the price for our humanity and responsibility. Probably, if we put aside emotions, and taking into account that many people are willing to take part in the tests voluntarily and are aware of what they are doing, then thanks to them we can return to normal life much faster and save a lot of people. We are almost at war, only not with another country, but with a virus. There will be many difficult decisions.

Ethics of voluntary COVID infection

Is this strategy justified?

Read the article

What are the new developments in the fight against HPV? Will age and gender restrictions on HPV vaccinations disappear?

Vaccination against HPV, as it was the most effective before the onset of sexual activity, and remains. For mass vaccination at the expense of the state, this is probably the only correct and cost-effective strategy. For older age groups, the decision is made individually on the basis of a combination of several factors: sexual activity, the number of sexual partners in the past and immediate plans in this matter for the future. Having a person financially able to get vaccinated is also important. The pleasure is not cheap. The most advanced vaccine can protect against 9 types of sexually transmitted HPV. It is not yet available in Russia. We have two options - from 2 and from 4 types. The latter, along with two highly oncogenic strains (16 and 18 types), includes two types of HPV (6 and 11 types) that cause genital warts. Once in your life, seeing what it is in the picture, you will run for the vaccine.

Which vaccinations are most important and which can be carried over to later?

In general, it is better not to postpone the vaccination, which is being done for the first time, and the shift in the timing of revaccination is less critical. But if you go into details, then there is no universal answer to this question. The situation may be slightly different for each child. So when, for example, for some reason it will be necessary to choose only 2 out of 10 vaccinations that are needed, the priorities may be different depending on the composition of the family, the health of the child himself, the lifestyle and profession of the parent.

Where to do them now during quarantine? Separately for adults and children

Routine vaccinations for adults have now been suspended by order of Rospotrebnadzor, so they have the opportunity to get vaccinated only urgently, in case of contact, for example, with measles or chickenpox. In some regions, vaccination is allowed for epidemic indications, vaccinations against tick-borne encephalitis are especially relevant, since the season has already begun. You can get vaccinated in the clinic at your place of residence or in a private center.

For children, the story is more confusing and depends on the region. In general, suspension of vaccination is not recommended and, if properly organized, can also be carried out in public or private hospitals. But due to local regulations and some arbitrariness, the rules may differ even within the same city. On my page, subscribers share the contacts of institutions where you can get vaccinated by filling out a special form.

What to do if you miss a particular vaccination?

If the vaccination schedule is violated, and the reason why this happened is no longer relevant, then you just need to make the missed vaccination, continue from where you left off. This rule works for most vaccines, but there are exceptions, such as those for haemophilus influenzae, pneumococcal disease, and meningococcal disease. The number of doses required to vaccinate against these diseases decreases with age, so the schedule needs to be adapted. If you missed the timing of the introduction of the rotavirus vaccine, which has a strict framework for the beginning and end of vaccination, then, alas, you will no longer be vaccinated against this infection.

What vaccinations are "must haves" for adults and children and cannot be missed?

A "must have" for everyone is diphtheria, tetanus, hepatitis B, measles, rubella and mumps. Tuberculosis (BCG), whooping cough, pneumococcus, poliomyelitis - for babies. Hemophilus infection, in my opinion, should also be on this list, but it is not included in the national calendar for everyone, only for a few risk groups. There are no extra vaccines on the national calendar.