Vaccination and the media: Correcting the damage

We've seen a lot of coverage this week of how a young woman of fourteen tragically died after receiving a cervical cancer jab. It turns out that she had a very serious tumour which was the cause of her death, not the jab.

Due to the media coverage which is always up for a scandal to sell a few extra units, there is a real risk that many parents will be very worried about the safety of the jab which will save hundreds of lives every year.

If those parent use Google to research the topic they will currently be inundated with dangerously sensationalist media stories that may cause them to think twice about getting their child vaccinated. Ironically that would put their child at risk from an actually existing threat out of fear needlessly generated by some sections of the press.

Online journalism recommends that we all boost more reliable information, by linking to it, so that concerned parents will at least arrive at more informed opinion as their first port of call. That information can be found at cervical cancer jab and cervical cancer vaccine and cervical cancer vaccine Q&A.

(h/t Dogwood Tales)