Author and health policy expert Timothy Caulfield knows it can be very difficult to change people鈥檚 minds when it comes to vaccines. But he hopes his new book, 鈥淭he Vaccination Picture,鈥� will help.
鈥淭here are so many vaccination myths out there,鈥� Caulfield, a University of Alberta professor and the Canada Research Chair in health law and policy, told CTV鈥檚 Your Morning on Tuesday.
Caulfield also famously in his recent book, 鈥淚s Gwyneth Paltrow Wrong About Everything?鈥�
鈥淭he Vaccination Picture鈥� is a colourful book that uses art and fact-based essays to clear up misinformation about vaccines. Caulfield said he hopes it will kickstart 鈥渆ngaging conversations鈥� about the importance of immunization.
Since the advent of mass immunization, there has been skepticism and outright rejection of vaccines, Caulfield said. But the now-discredited 1998 study by Andrew Wakefield that purported to find a link between the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine and autism sparked the modern age of anti-vaccine movements, he said.
Even though Wakefield鈥檚 findings were debunked and further research has shown that there is no link between vaccines and autism, many people still believe that vaccines cause harm.
Caulfield said research shows 鈥渋t鈥檚 difficult to change people鈥檚 minds with facts alone,鈥� so it鈥檚 important for researchers and health professionals to talk to people about how vaccines directly benefit them, their families and their communities.
Watch Your Morning鈥檚 full interview with Caulfield above.
