Article: Doctor blames Andrew Wakefield and anti-vaxxers for her baby son catching measles
“A doctor has said public reaction to Andrew Wakefield’s discredited study linking the MMR vaccine to autism was to blame when her baby son caught measles.”
Despite the overwhelming scientific evidence showing the benefits of vaccinations, the anti-vaccination movement has grown in part to social media.
May 2021 TOK Essay Prescribed Title #1 is focused on trust and there are a number of elements of trust in the RLE:
- Trust in the scientific community is derived from the scientific method. The trust in Wakefield’s research was given initially since it was published. Once the research was looked at more closely his research was debunked.
- Although his research was debunked it is still being used in the anti-vaccination movement.
- Social media plays a significant role in perpetuating theories that may not otherwise get much attention.