Introduction
Societal support for vaccination is decreasing, especially in MEDCs. Causes are hypothesised to vary from less exposure to and therefore awareness of dangerous disease to fake news about vaccination. Effects are far more clear-cut. The effectiveness of vaccination for the individual is unaffected, but societal efficacy of vaccination depends on reaching a sufficiently high vaccination percentage. If this level of vaccination is not reached, epidemics and pandemics can continue to spread and herd immunity collapses, meaning that those who cannot be (successfully) vaccinated such as newborns, elderly and the immune-compromised are no longer protected. Furthermore, populations with a lower vaccination level more easily spread diseases to other populations.
The WHA should discuss not only how and why support for vaccination is floundering, and – more importantly – how the tide can be turned through legislation and information.