Fake news about vaccinations will pose a danger to the health and well-being of the global population, according to Lior Brimberg, PhD, a doctor at a Northwell Health medical research center. Dr. Brimberg who studies the effect of maternal anti-brain antibodies on brain development and behavior specifically in Autism Spectrum Disorder puts her squarely in the center of the debate about vaccines and their connection to autism.
While the anti vaxxers claim that there is a definite connection, Dr. Brimberg calls it false information that is spread online by the uniformed pointing to a fraudulent and debunked study as proof.
In an op-ed posted to the Northwell Health website and initially published on Business Insider, Dr. Brimberg writes that proper communication, explaining the science and encouraging questions can help to reverse anti-vax misinformation.
She writes:
“As we have seen with the confusion around autism, if people don't understand the basics of what a vaccine is or does, then of course, this is bound to lead to distrust. It seems like scientists developed these COVID-19 vaccines in a pressure cooker, and in a sense, they did. However, it is imperative to communicate all of the safety, regulatory and strict guidelines that were adhered to, just as any other drug would have been.”
“One of the main differences in the development of the COVID-19 vaccines, because of the federal initiative of "Operation Warp Speed," in comparison to others, each phase of the drug testing and manufacturing were simultaneous. While a gamble for the drug manufacturers, if the vaccines' trials showed it was unsafe, all of those produced vials would be useless; this has allowed for a new vaccine to be funded, tested, and created in less than a year.”
You can read the full op-ed on the Northwell Health website here.