Page 53 - Standard Indicators for the social appropriation of science

Will a vaccine against cancer appear in the first scientists were confronted and questioned.
next few years?
Cancer is a very complex disease that has
very different causes. It has different levels of
prevention and different treatments depending
on the cancer. For example, the main risk
factor for lung cancer is tobacco, the main
risk factor of melanoma is unprotected sun
exposure, therefore is not possible to prevent
through a vaccine. However, it is possible to
prevent cervical cancer with a vaccine, since
it is caused by a virus – human papilloma, as
well as to do its prevention from cytological
screenings. There is also another type of
cancer avoidable by vaccination, which is one
of the forms of liver cancer, caused by the
hepatitis B virus. If we are vaccinated for this
virus, it is not possible to have liver cancer for
this reason.
Communication and
communication of risks about
vaccines
Are all the side effects of vaccines known?
Considering that the vaccines in most national
vaccination programs are old ones, have tens
of years of experience and millions of people
have been vaccinated around the world, it is
possible to say that almost all of the effects are
known. However, even after a long time, side
effects are still registered and investigated by
international and national institutions in order
to be able to withdraw vaccines if necessary.
Is there a relationship between autism and
vaccination?
There is not. In 1998, some authors launched
the possibility of a connection between
measles vaccination and autism. This study
was replicated by other scientists around the
world to try to understand what was happening
and they did not obtain the same results. The
Initially it was believed that there was a
confusion with the age at which the vaccine is
administered and the beginning of the signs of
autism. Later, it was proved judicially that there
were conflicts of interest of the authors. They
were discredited all over the world and the
articles were taken from the magazines where
they had been published.
Will pathologies that will appear in the
future be more resistant to the point that a
vaccine will not serve as treatment?
With the flu it behaves in such a way that there
is a new vaccination every year. There is an
update based on the characteristics of the virus
of the previous year. In addition, it is necessary
to think about the possible impact that climate
change may have on hosts, vaccine recipients
and on the microorganisms themselves.
Which actors besides journalists can and
should educate people about vaccination?
My doctor, for example, has never asked
me about it.
Of course, other groups besides journalism
should provide more information about
vaccination. Starting, of course, with doctors, it
is also good to have campaigns every now and
then. Experience shows that such campaigns
are successful. You can’t just come across with
facts and figures in the answers, but you actually
have to convey the topic emotionally. And
doctors in particular have a great responsibility
to get this across. But unfortunately, there are
also many doctors who are not so convinced
themselves or forget it.
Ultimately, this is also a question of science
communication. Younger doctors and
researchers in particular approach the public
differently. Perhaps this can improve the
information situation between the public and
science in the future.
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