'Battling information warfare'
Dallas, Texas – Therissa Grefsrud still remembers the email. The COVID-19 pandemic had been raging for nearly a year, and a woman had reached out to ask about vaccines: Would they cause infertility in her or her future children?
Grefsrud, a nurse specialised in infection prevention, had heard such concerns before. But studies show no link between infertility and vaccination of any kind.
Still, Grefsrud exchanged messages with the woman as she shared her fears. Then she pointed her towards the facts.
'She came to me about a month later and let me know how grateful she was for me making this space without judgement,' Grefsrud said. The woman also shared that she was now vaccinated.
Fast forward four years, and Grefsrud is among the healthcare professionals in Texas confronting a new outbreak: measles.
The virus is one of the most contagious diseases on the planet. The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimate that, if one person has it, they can infect nine out of 10 people in their vicinity.
Vaccination is the only way to prevent the disease, and experts like Grefsrud say empathetic conversations are necessary to raise awareness.
But they say rampant disinformation has made those kinds of conversations harder to come by.
'Public health officials aren't skilled in information warfare,' said Jennifer Nuzzo, the director of Brown University's Pandemic Center.
'They have to get people to understand the importance and value of getting vaccinated, but battling information warfare is not what we're taught in public health school.'
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