Consequences of “Anti-vaxxers” in a Pandemic Era

Vaccine hesitancy has been around almost as long as vaccines. However, vaccines continue to be one of the best ways of preventing disease and decreasing the severity of illness. In recent years, there have been growing numbers of people who have become concerned about receiving vaccines. Some of this is due to the ability to rapidly spread misinformation through the internet, and with the political polarization of vaccination. This puts us at risk of a recurrence of old diseases which have previously been controlled with vaccines, and it could impair our inability to manage future pandemics.