Vaccine Reluctance – Dr. Ed Iannuccilli

Monday, April 26, 2021

Dr. Ed Iannuccilli, Contributor

Because vaccine reluctance has become a considerable problem as we try to control this epidemic, we must help people better understand the enormous impact that vaccines have on the health of the population.

I played golf with a friend last week, and he was quick to tell me he was afraid to get the COVID vaccine. Early on, I was frustrated with such a response and urged, perhaps too strongly, that the vaccine is essential. Now, after observing people for the better part of a year, I am much more circumspect and try to cautiously cajole someone into getting vaccinated, trying to understand their fears while educating and consoling. So, I treaded gently with A___.

“C’mon, A___, you have to get the vaccine. It is safe and will protect you and others. And it’s one of the advances in modern medicine that we are fortunate, not only to observe, but also to participate in firsthand. It was only one hundred years ago when we had no vaccines and millions died from preventable diseases.”

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Laughing, he replied, “But my wife got it and two days later, she broke a tooth.” Hysterical, because I think he half believed it.

“A___, my mother would point her crooked finger at you and say, “You get that vaccine.” I demonstrated. He smiled. I trust he will comply, especially now that he knows my mother might haunt him.

People fear vaccines for varied reasons. It was once a belief that to be vaccinated violated God’s law. Others fear that to have something injected will violate their bodies. Or they may fear that the side effects may be more dangerous than the treatment. More recently with children’s vaccines, it was the fear of long lasting psychological and behavioral side effects, now scientifically proven to be untrue. Why the unfounded fear?

Patients are left to sort through buckets of information doled out by a fractured media. In an age of self-publishing and alternative facts, anyone can grasp onto whatever bits of material that justify their reluctance, or initiate it. Our job is to address their fears directly.

Hesitancy and skepticism about the vaccine were never an issue for me. When the current vaccines were developed and made available in lightening scientific speed, I planned to be first in line as I remembered so vividly the unfortunate consequences that arose in unvaccinated patients. It was a horrible experience, especially as I looked through the lens of, “This should never have happened.”

Each year, vaccines prevent more than 3 million childhood deaths worldwide from diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, and measles.

When the directors of the FDA and the CDC substantiated the effectiveness and safety of the vaccines, they solidified my eagerness to comply. After all, much of what I told patients for their best care came from the studies and endorsements of our outstanding organizations, the best in the world.

I will persist in trying to dispel misleading information about the COVID vaccines while assuring people of their safety and benefit.

Beware my mother’s crooked finger.

Dr. Ed Iannuccilli is the author of three popular memoirs, “Growing up Italian; Grandfather’s Fig Tree and Other Stories”, “What Ever Happened to Sunday Dinner” and “My Story Continues: From Neighborhood to Junior High.”  Learn more here. 

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