How do we combat the global measles revival? It’s a matter of trust | Charlie Weller

Our report shows that lower vaccination rates are linked to a lack of trust in institutions in general, not just in science

" Charlie Weller is Wellcome's head of vaccines programme

There's no vaccine against distrust in vaccines. Millions of children in the world used to die each year from infections like measles. Now, thanks to routine immunisation programmes, they don't. But just because we hardly see these infections in the UK any more, it doesn't mean we can be complacent.

Although nearly all British parents vaccinate their children, one in five people in the UK aren't convinced that vaccines are safe, according to the largest ever survey of global attitudes to science and health, published this week. This is worrying, because distrust can let infections like measles come back with a vengeance.

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