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.

• 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