Course description
Antivaccination and Vaccine Hesitancy
In 2019 the World Health Organization listed vaccine hesitancy as one of the top ten threats to global health. Vaccine hesitancy is the reluctance or refusal to vaccinate. Even though vaccines are available to many people, doubts about their safety and effectiveness jeopardises important progress made in tackling vaccine-preventable diseases.
Numerous countries which had at one time been declared free of vaccine preventable diseases, such as measles, are again experiencing measles outbreaks. Many health workers from around the globe also report encountering parents who are hesitant about having their own children vaccinated. These hesitancies can be fuelled by misinformation about vaccines being harmful or unnecessary, claims that there is a global conspiracy behind vaccines, as well as distrust of government and healthcare professionals.
Such vaccine doubts might seem surprising, because vaccination is one the greatest public health achievements in human history, which saves millions of lives every year. Yet vaccine hesitancy is complex, and there are several central reasons why people choose to delay or decline getting vaccinated.
This course will enable you to understand this complicated issue and what lies behind vaccine hesitancy. It will also equip you with key skills for responding to antivaccination claims. You will engage with the science of vaccination and learn crucial information about why vaccines are safe and effective. Additionally, the course examines the most well-known vaccine myths and antivaccination persuasion strategies.
Upcoming start dates
Who should attend?
Prerequisites
None
Course delivery details
This course is offered through The University of Queensland, a partner institute of EdX.
2-4 hours per week
Costs
- Verified Track -$99
- Audit Track - Free
Certification / Credits
What you'll learn
Upon successfully completing this course, students will:
- Examine the science of vaccines, including vaccination safety and effectiveness.
- Recognise why some people are hesitant about vaccines.
- Identify twelve vaccine myths, and seven antivaccination persuasion strategies.
- Recognise what not to do when trying to dispel vaccine myths.
- Investigate ways of responding effectively to vaccine hesitant individuals.
Contact this provider
edX
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