Time and time again over many years I see parents who are hesitant to vaccinate their child. They’ve often had the vaccine and were happy to be protected, but they’re not sure if it’s okay for their child because of the risks they’ve heard.

We talk about the relative risks. Every time we look at the risks, the risk of the disease far outweighs the risk of the vaccine - even when there’s no pandemic, yet they still hesitate to vaccinate.

I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about this over many years. First it was the MMR. Then it was the HPV. Now it’s the COVID19 vaccine.

I know this fear.

My oldest was due for his first MMR just about the time the reports of its association with autism were big in the news. I heard the hubbub about the problems and worried that they could be true. Those fears weighed on my mind heavily because fear is strong. I didn’t want to do something that caused a problem.

But I also knew the science. That’s the benefit of being a pediatrician. I had studied this science for years. I could find the faults in the study more easily than others who were not used to reading medical journals. I knew the benefits of the vaccine and trusted the experts who recommended it. My son was vaccinated on time despite my inner fear. Yes, I still had that fear. But I used my thinking brain to push fear back long enough to do what I knew was the right thing to do.

Fear is powerful.

Fear is there to keep us safe. It is helpful to a point so we’re not repeatedly harmed.

But sometimes fear keeps us from doing things we know we should do. Things we want to do.

Fear of roller coasters keeps some kids who really want to ride from buckling in.

Fear of failure prevents many of us from trying something new.

Fear isn’t logical - even when we know it’s not necessary, we can’t escape feeling it.

People use fear.

People know this and use it to their advantage all the time. This is not new.

Abusers use fear to manipulate and control their oppressed.

Terrorists used fear to pit our country’s people against one another after 9/11.

Fear makes us stupid.

Fear prevents us from thinking.

The emotional panic shuts down the prefrontal cortex, the rational thinking part of our brain.

Think of the last time you were very emotional - how rationally could you think? Probably not well, right?

This is why therapists have many tools they teach to identify triggers and name fears. They may advise practicing and roll playing the events that typically trigger fear, to make it easier to do what is necessary at the time.

It is also why some altered facts and outright lies seem believable. We lose our ability to look at the facts logically when we’re afraid.

Fear and vaccines.

Most of the fear surrounding vaccines can be tracked back to a relatively few people and organizations.

Their motive is not something I can understand because they are essentially increasing the risk of their believers and followers getting chronically sick or dying, but only they know their motives.

They are using fear to control behaviors and that is not okay.

Fear of doing something vs allowing nature to take its course.

It is understandable that parents worry that they will cause harm to their child by vaccinating them. There is a lot of scary stuff parents see online and hear from friends to reinforce that fear.

It’s also understandable that if someone gets an infection through natural means we won’t feel quite the same guilt. It happens, right? People get infections.

This seems to tip the balance in favor of doing nothing, even if the risk is greater to do nothing.

The fear of doing something that has a very minimal chance of causing harm can lead to people holding off on the vaccine, even when we know that the risk of becoming infected with a potentially deadly virus is the other option.

The risks of the options don’t get equal weight because of the fear of causing a problem. Unfortunately this can lead to a much bigger risk of allowing nature to take it’s course.

With the very big risk of the Delta variant in most of our communities, it is a very scary position to be in.

Risks of delaying vaccination

Not every infection is mild, even in otherwise healthy young people.

Dr. Cleavon Gilman is an ER physician who has compiled stories of children and young people who have died or have significant illnesses due to COVID19 infections. You can see the stories on CleavonMD. Bring your tissues.

Also remember that many viruses have late complications. Most people are aware that shingles can surface many years after chicken pox. Several viruses cause cancer years after infection. We know of these late complications because these infections have been around for generations.

There are a vast number of potential problems kids can develop years after a mild infection with COVID19, but we won’t know what they are for years.

It’s best to avoid infections as much as possible.

The drive to return to normal is powerful.

We all would love to return to life as we knew it.

Travel when we want to travel.

Eat inside a restaurant without worry.

Laugh loudly at the table with friends.

Hug our loved ones who are higher risk.

Watch our favorite teams play in a packed stadium.

The only way to safely do this is to control the virus.

To do this we must control our fears and think logically.

We need to allow the experts to look at the data and make recommendations based on current knowledge. Expect recommendations to change as new information is learned.

We need to be alert that there are self proclaimed experts that misuse a few data points to come up with fringe ideas. If most of the experts disagree with them, it is not wise to follow them.

The first step in dealing with fear is to recognize your fear. Step back from the fear and identify why you have that feeling. Once you know that you can research whether or not it is based on fact. This is hard if you don’t have the base understanding of the science when it comes to healthcare decisions, which is why giving extra attention to expert opinion from major groups of experts, not any individual person, is helpful. When you identify the facts you can act mindfully and rationally.

Layer on the protections.

Staying home, wearing masks, and vaccines all help to prevent infection.

None are perfect, but the more layers we use the better.

Think of these layers like driving a car.

We wear our seatbelt in the car. Yes, the seatbelt could cause a little injury if we’re in an accident, but without it we risk more injury. Vaccines are very similar in this regard.

Airbags help during collisions to protect us, but if used without the seatbelt, they aren’t as effective.

When it’s dark we use headlights. If only some people have headlights, we’re all at risk of collisions. During a pandemic the same principle applies: when we protect ourselves we protect those around us as well.

If our brakes are faulty, we stop driving all together until the car is fixed. In the pandemic situation, if you’re sick or exposed to someone who has COVID19, stay home.

During bad weather we increase safety precautions, such as by driving slower or using our wipers. During a pandemic, this might mean stopping some activities when community risk increases, then resuming them as rates fall. I love this explanation of risk assessment from Your Local Epidemiologist:

Be safe.

Wear your mask when community spread is high, even if you’re vaccinated. If you have a hard time wearing one due to anxiety or sensory issues, talk with your therapist, physician, or an occupational therapist.

Get vaccinated as soon as you can. If you have questions about the vaccine, ask your physician.

Stay home when you’re sick or exposed other than to get tested.

Choose safer activities, especially when rates are elevated in your community.

Stop spreading fear. Verify things before you share them.

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