Conspiracy Theory on Vaccines:

The belief is that vaccines are harmful or have hidden agendas

As published on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website by

the US government, “Vaccination is the act of introducing a vaccine into the body
to produce protection from a specific disease”. 1 While the World Health
Organization defines vaccination simply as a simple, safe, and effective way of
protecting individuals against harmful diseases 2, hence, in today's time, there are
plenty of vaccines for different types of diseases. Vaccination is one of the most
successful interventions in the history of medicine, it led to the global eradication
of smallpox, nearly the eradication of polio, and the drastic decrease in the
morbidity and mortality associated with other infectious diseases. However, while
there are proven scientific studies for these vaccines, many are still fearful and
skeptical. Many are questioning whether vaccines have harmful side effects or
whether there are hidden agendas behind them.

Opposition to vaccination dates back to the Victorian age and since the
18 century, controversy accompanied the introduction of every new vaccine.
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Many still assume that vaccines are unsafe and unnecessary both in developed
and developing countries. In a study two of the reasons for vaccine refusal is
lack of knowledge and political sympathies. Another research on vaccine refusal
conducted by Ipsos Research Agency shows that 43% of the citizens believe in
the concealment of information about the harmful effects of vaccines from the
public so that pharmaceutical companies can continue making profits. 3

An increase in vaccine refusals over time, and the geographic clustering of

under-vaccinated or non-vaccinated individuals and communities, were linked to
outbreaks of vaccine-preventable infectious diseases in the United States and
internationally.4 One of the diseases that can be prevented from spreading
through vaccination is measles. However, according to the National Library of
Medicine, the measles outbreaks after January 2001, about 56.8% of 1416
measles cases had no history of measles vaccination, and 59% through 93% of
unvaccinated individuals were intentionally unvaccinated. 5 In the most recent
health crisis of the world, COVID-19 pandemic, issues have arisen that the virus
was created by some governments to control the world politics and economy

1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC.gov

2. World Health Organization, Vaccines and Immunization, who.int
3. 43% citizens believe in a conspiracy theory regarding the concealment of information about vaccines,
Unicef.org
4. Omer SB, Salmon DA, Orenstein WA, deHart MP, Halsey N. Vaccine refusal, mandatory immunization, and
the risks of vaccine-preventable diseases, pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
5. Association Between Vaccine Refuasdal and Vaccine-Preventable Diseases in the US, ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
6. The Psychological Roots of Anti-Vaccination Attitudes: A 24-nation Investigation, apa.org
through vaccines. Many individuals still refuse to vaccinate against COVID-19 due
to vaccine conspiracy theories.
Conspiracy theories reject the standard explanation of an event and
attribute it to covert groups or organizations intending to carry out secret plots.
Conspiracy theories have been there for ages. Studies have shown that
conspiracy theories are believed by different ranges or groups of individuals.
Anti-vaccination attitudes were associated with intolerance of those who limit
their freedom, disgust toward blood and needles and an individualistic worldview,
according to the study conducted by Matthew Hornsey. 6

In conclusion, I quote Matthew Hornsey, “Trying to reduce people’s

conspiracy beliefs is notoriously difficult. An alternative possibility is to
acknowledge the possibility of conspiracies, but to highlight how there are vested
interests on the other side too; vested interests that are motivated to obscure
the benefits of vaccination and to exaggerate their dangers.”

1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC.gov

2. World Health Organization, Vaccines and Immunization, who.int
3. 43% citizens believe in a conspiracy theory regarding the concealment of information about vaccines,
Unicef.org
4. Omer SB, Salmon DA, Orenstein WA, deHart MP, Halsey N. Vaccine refusal, mandatory immunization, and
the risks of vaccine-preventable diseases, pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
5. Association Between Vaccine Refuasdal and Vaccine-Preventable Diseases in the US, ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
6. The Psychological Roots of Anti-Vaccination Attitudes: A 24-nation Investigation, apa.org