Spotty Coverage – Filling trust gaps in measles vaccination

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Measles is an extremely infectious virus that can both kill and cripple children. Luckily, there are highly effective vaccines to prevent the disease. The World Health Organization recommends that 95 percent of the population be fully vaccinated against measles because it’s so contagious. This helps to ensure that vulnerable children and infants who cannot be vaccinated are protected.

Yet vaccination rates are falling globally. The result? A 20 percent increase in measles cases between 2022 and 2023,  according to WHO and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That adds up to more than 10 million cases. More than 107,000 people died from measles in 2023, mostly children. 

The problem is worse in some communities, especially where connections to the outside world are limited. One example: the Charedi community in London. Often referred to as ultra-Orthodox Jews, the Charedi often run their own schools and daycare centers and can fall outside the usual public health health system. Vaccination rates have fallen below 70 percent in some of these communities, according to UK health officials.

It can be tricky to encourage people in isolated communities to get themselves and their children vaccinated. Sometimes it’s simply a matter of logistics, and sometimes it’s a matter of overcoming distrust, misinformation, and disinformation.

Dr. Ben Kasstan-Dabush has been studying this problem while at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. One solution he found: Make use of people from within the community to communicate. “I worked with clinical and community partners to produce a short clinic clip that can be screened in primary care waiting rooms,” he says. “It features the voice of a Charedi Jewish healthcare professional and mum.” 

Another success: coloring pages for kids that feature vaccination in a positive light and that use common Jewish names. Common-sense solutions include extending clinic hours so parents can attend outside working hours and religious holidays. 

Now a lecturer of global health policy at the University of Edinburgh, Dr. Kasstan-Dabush is continuing to study how people respond to public health outreach attempts around vaccination. Listen as he chats with One World, One Health about some of the reasons kids might not get vaccinated on time and ways to make it easier.