About a third of the parents in Israel and the UK, 37 percent, reported that they trust vaccines less compared to the period before the corona virus. The researchers warn that even a moderate decrease in the scope of vaccination could lead to a loss of herd immunity and an outbreak of infectious diseases.
The study focused on two core vaccines in childhood, the combined vaccine against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis, and the vaccine against measles, mumps and rubella. In Britain, the vaccination rate against diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough dropped from 96.5 to 94.7 percent, and the vaccination against measles, mumps and rubella dropped from 97.3 to 93.6 percent. In Israel, a similar decrease was recorded – from 95.3 to 93.1 percent in the combined vaccine, and from 94.3 to 91.6 percent in the measles vaccine.
According to the researchers, it was not only the fear of the corona vaccines that affected the decrease in public trust, but mainly the way in which the policy was presented to the public during the crisis. The changing decisions of the health authorities at the beginning of the epidemic, the differences between countries, and the inconsistent public communication created a feeling that the experts “don’t know what they are doing”, and damaged parents’ trust.
Professor Michael Edelstein, the lead researcher from the Faculty of Medicine at Bar Ilan University, explains: “A growing part of the public no longer trusts vaccines as they did in the past, not because of the vaccines themselves but because of the way the media was managed around them, which caused confusion or lack of knowledge. Even if it is a small percentage, such a decrease could quickly cause the loss of collective immunity, as we see today in measles outbreaks in Israel and the United States. This is a message The Ministry of Health should not sit idly by, but start fighting the trend today to prevent tomorrow’s outbreaks.”
According to him, public trust takes years to build but can be destroyed in a short time. “If we look at the crisis of the late 1990s, when false news was spread that the measles vaccine causes autism, it took years to return to pre-crisis vaccination rates. In the current case, the decrease is smaller, but it is important to act immediately. Clear communication with the public is required, encouraging parents to bring their children to vaccinations on time, and reducing barriers. The messages must be adapted to different groups in the population, especially those where a significant decrease in vaccination is evident.”
Edelstein points out that the decline in trust is not a passing phenomenon. “In many places in Israel the situation continues and even worsens. According to the data of the Ministry of Health, the rate of vaccination on time for the first dose of measles decreased at the Har Nof clinic in Jerusalem from 41 percent in 2022 to 36 percent in 2024. In central Tel Aviv, the coverage decreased from 71 to 61 percent during the same period.”
“These are just two examples and there are many more. The current measles outbreak clearly illustrates the consequences of under-vaccination, especially among the ultra-Orthodox population, which is currently the least vaccinated group in Israel. Unfortunately, if immediate action is not taken, further outbreaks are expected.”