The “misinformation pandemic” surrounding the use of vaccinations and medication like paracetamol has become “a big threat to our democracy and our health”, a senior academic in immunology has warned.
Efforts must continue to be made by scientists and medical professionals to educate people on the importance of vaccinating against viruses like Covid and flu so that the public is not swayed by misinformation and can rely on “real data” to make informed decisions, Prof Clíona O’Farrelly, Trinity College Dublin’s Chair in comparative immunology and biochemistry said on Saturday.
“And the real data tells us that vaccines have saved millions of lives,” Prof O’Farrelly said. She described US president Donald Trump’s claim last week of discovering a link between the use of paracetamol, also known as Tylenol, by pregnant women and autism as “mischievous”, saying Mr Trump’s promise to find the “answer to autism” within a few months was unrealistic.
“It’s just so hard to find out exactly why people get autism,” Prof O’Farrelly told RTÉ Radio’s Brendan O’Connor show.
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“You’re not going to be able to find that out in six months, particularly if you’re chopping research initiatives and research funding like is happening in the US. Struggling for some false explanation, like what the Tylenol is, is mischievous.”
Health officials and medical experts in Ireland, and internationally, have strongly pushed back against Mr Trump’s claims and stress that paracetamol remains the safest painkiller available to women.
[ WHO rejects Trump’s claims of link between painkiller use and autismOpens in new window ]
Asked whether people should continue to get the Covid-19 booster, Prof O’Farrelly said the vaccination still protects against death and illness and urged vulnerable people to avail of the jab.
“If we think about what happened in north Italy and in New York right at the beginning of the epidemic, and the numbers of people who died and those piled up coffins, the vaccine has saved literally millions of lives, so it has been an astonishing story.”
She also urged the general public to continue to avail of the updated flu vaccine every year.
Prof O’Farrelly said the pushback against the Covid-19 vaccination campaign, particularly in Romania which had one of the lowest vaccination rates in the European Union, due to a historical distrust in institutions was separate to the general vaccine disinformation being spread across the western world.
“It’s a huge issue for democracy and we just have to find new ways of talking to people who are nervous. The misinformation pandemic, which is absolutely what I would call it, is a big threat to our democracy and to our health.”
[ Chickenpox vaccine: who can get it, when and why?Opens in new window ]
Last week, the HSE announced the chickenpox (varicella) vaccine would be made available free of charge for all babies born on or after October 1st 2024. The chickenpox vaccine was not previously included as part of the primary childhood immunisation programme and cost parents between €140 and more than €200 for two doses, depending on local GP fees.
Prof O’Farrelly said the cost of the shingles vaccination for adults, which is only available privately and can cost up to €480 for two doses, was “outrageous” and “eye-wateringly expensive”.
Some people who contract shingles will only experience mild symptoms but some, particularly older people, could become seriously ill, she said. New research also shows the shingles vaccination could help protect against dementia, she added.
