The MMR vaccine: public health, private fears

A decade ago, the possibility of a link between the MMR vaccine and autism hit the media. Fear of the vaccine spread rapidly and, despite an almost unanimous consensus that the claim was unfounded, still persists today. This free course, The MMR vaccine: public health, private fears, will examine why this controversy took on such a life of its own and why parents still agonise about the vaccine.

Syllabus

Introduction
Learning outcomes
1 The MMR controversy
1 The MMR controversy
2 Background to the controversy
2 Background to the controversy
3 Risk perception
3 Risk perception
4 Single vaccines – the middle way?
4 Single vaccines – the middle way?
5 MMR and the media
5 MMR and the media
5.1 Overview
5.2 Blair's babe
5.3 The expert patient
5.4 Telling tales
6 Everyone's interests
6 Everyone's interests
7 Concluding remarks
7 Concluding remarks
8 Reading 1: The Lancet Paper
8 Reading 1: The Lancet Paper
8.1 Reading 1: The Lancet Paper
8.2 An acrimonious debate
8.3 MMR and the Medical Research Council
8.4 Testing the MMR-autism hypothesis
8.5 MMR safety
8.6 Moving the goalposts
8.7 References for Reading 1
9 Reading 2: Communication and miscommunication of risk: understanding UK parents' attitudes to combined MMR vaccination
9 Reading 2: Communication and miscommunication of risk: understanding UK parents' attitudes to combined MMR vaccination
9.1 Communication and miscommunication of risk
9.2 Background
9.3 Parents' responses to the risks
9.4 Lessons from history
9.5 What went wrong with MMR?
9.6 Changing parents' perceptions
9.7 References for Reading 2
10 Reading 3: Towards a better map: Science, the public and the media
10 Reading 3: Towards a better map: Science, the public and the media
10.1 Media coverage of the MMR controversy
10.2 Media coverage of cloning and genetic medical research
10.3 The media and the public understanding of science
10.4 Trust
10.5 Overall levels of scientific understanding
10.6 What did we learn from media coverage between April and October?
10.7 The media and public understanding of climate change
10.8 The media and public understanding of the MMR controversy
10.9 The media and public understanding of cloning and genetic medical research
10.10 Conclusions
11 Reading 4: The lessons of MMR
11 Reading 4: The lessons of MMR
11.1 The lessons of MMR
11.2 Autism research
11.3 Research integrity
11.4 Vaccine safety
11.5 Public engagement
11.6 Publishing controversial new ideas
11.7 References for Reading 4
Keep on learning
References
Acknowledgements