Conspiracy theories are not a novelty. They have always existed in times of turmoil and confusion. Although conspiracy theories are controversial, many are not necessarily harmful (the Flat Earth Society proving this). While it’s easy for us to laugh at the preposterous claims of these conspiracies, there is a severe issue with conspiracy theorists who refuse to believe in science, more specifically vaccination. In pop culture, these conspiracy theorists are known as Anti-Vaxxers. The Anti-Vax community existed before the pandemic as well, but their influence has intensified with the outbreak of the COVID-19.

Before the pandemic, the Anti-Vax community was a cult-like organization, jumping on every article, paper, or video that might slightly discredit vaccines. Their reasoning behind opposing prominent vaccines was primarily due to a paper from the 1990s linking vaccines with autism in children. The problem with this paper, however, was that the lead researcher deliberately lied in his results. Rather than taking a random sample of children, he intentionally chose data that suited his case while falsifying certain facts. As a result, his medical license was revoked. Nevertheless, the Anti-Vax community was born, refusing to believe in medical experts who have consistently opposed the existence of their association. They have continuously spread misinformation about vaccines in attempts to dissuade others from being vaccinated and since the community gained popularity, public health officials in the US began reporting outbreaks of measles in communities where Anti-Vaxxers are common. Their ignorance has spiraled into a health crisis in nations where vaccines have become available for the pandemic.

Because the COVID-19 vaccine is relatively new in comparison to other well-known vaccines such as the flu or measles, inevitably that the public would not be as well educated on them. The problem, however, is when Anti-Vaxxers decidedly disseminate misinformation regarding these vaccines and their side effects. One such claim that recently arose was concern over whether vaccines would lead to infertility in women. Though proven false by many health experts across the industry, the constant circulation of this information has created hesitation in regular people who normally would not have doubts. In addition to not being vaccinated, Anti-Vaxxers pose public health hazards by attempting to influence the people around them by telling them vaccines are harmful. Returning to a pre-COVID state becomes a far longer process when people refuse to take the vaccine. Misinformation about the vaccine must be better controlled on social media platforms and in public and for countries to reach a state of complete vaccination, there should be more assurance that most of the vaccinations are safe and that receiving the vaccine is safer than not. Today, public health is of critical importance and while vaccines are necessary for individuals to stay healthy, the Anti-Vax community distributes hazardous disinformation that might put millions of other people's lives in jeopardy. There must be greater action against Anti-Vaxxers, whether they accept it or not.

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