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  • Essay / Myths about vaccination: strong denials of risks can increase...

    Betsch, Cornelia and Katharina Sachse. “Debunking Vaccination Myths: Strong Risk Denials May Increase Perceived Risks of Vaccination.” Health Psychology 32.2 (2013): 146-55. EBSCO host. Internet. March 20, 2016.This article focuses on the risks associated with vaccinations. Many adverse events related to vaccines are widely dramatized on the Internet by anti-vaccine activists. Because these people are anti-vaccination activists, their information most likely contains bias, making it unreliable. This article describes some of the risks perceived by the public and then gives scientific explanations denying this risk. In this study, subjects were asked to pretend that they were the parents of an infant whose doctor recommended a certain vaccination. They then received different information about this vaccine, including possible side effects and risks. Throughout the study, the severity of the risk increased and decreased to test whether the parent would respond differently. Two researchers who worked in universities carried out this study. Cornelia Betsch is from the University of Erfurt and Katharina Sachse is from the Technical University of Berlin. This study appears to be a well-conducted and bias-free study. Many different subject groups were used, statistical tests were performed, and references were listed. Brunson, Emily K. "How Parents Make Decisions About Their Children's Vaccinations." Vaccine 34.9 (2010). ProQuest. Internet. February 28, 2016. This article presents research on the factors that influence parents' choice of whether or not to vaccinate their children. Vaccinations are very successful at preventing disease through herd immunity, vaccinating enough of the population to protect even those who don't get vaccinated. T...... middle of paper ......we would be more efficient. This article states that hospitalization rates for influenza are highest among children under five years old. Although the highest admission rates are among children under the age of five, the highest mortality rates attributed to influenza are among older people with pre-existing conditions. To try to address this, the UK government has created a program to ensure children and the elderly have access to flu vaccines. This study used a computer-generated outbreak to determine disease severity. This study includes data tables, graphs, statistical tests and references. This article was peer-reviewed, published in the journal Vaccine and free from bias. This article evaluates the cost-effectiveness of vaccination. Although this study is very informative, the language is too advanced for the average person to understand..