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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Vaccine disinformation can kill people, health expert warns

Vaccine disinformation can kill people, health expert warns

Published Apr 25, 2022 03:05 pm

Citing the death of around 800 unvaccinated children who died due to complications caused by measles in 2019, the executive director of the Philippine Foundation for Vaccination (PFV) said disinformation about vaccines can kill people.

A girl gets her Covid-19 vaccine in Muntinlupa City. (File photo courtesy of Munitnlupa City PIO)

The deaths of the children should have been prevented if only they were inoculated, according to Dr. Lulu Bravo, the executive director of the PFV.

"Disinformation can really kill people, kill children. Look at what happened to our measles, 800 children died in 2019 when they should have not died," she said during a virtual forum on Monday, April 25.

"But only because these mothers are so afraid of vaccines, they shied away from the health centers," she added.

She stressed that measles is a vaccine-preventable disease.

With this, Bravo appealed to the media to help them fight vaccine disinformation and misinformation which are rampant on social media.

"Please fight misinformation and disinformation," she appealed as she noted that the trust of the people in vaccines must be restored.

"You were the ones who could be responsible for making sure that our children do not die from vaccine-preventable diseases. It is your turn to become heroes," the PFV executive director added.

The virtual forum was held in celebration of World Immunization Week, which is observed from April 24 to 30.

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VACCINE DISINFORMATION HEALTH EXPERT disinfection world immunization week kills
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