The History of Anti-Vaxxers by Becky Vorabouth

Vaccination has been heavily discussed for the last two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With the whole world being involved, opposing views are bound to crash into one another. There are two main sides: vaccinators and anti-vaxxers. An array questions will quickly form from both sides. A few core questions continue to be tossed around like: Where did these anti-vaccination movements originate from? Why are some people against vaccinations? Are vaccines potentially unsafe? What problems or solutions can arise from vaccines? Will or should vaccines be mandatory?

Vaccines are old. Anti-vaccination movements first started in the 18th century. There is also a term called vaccine hesitancy. The concept of vaccination derived from inoculation or variolation. Inoculation was being practiced in regions like the Middle East and China before it arrived in Europe. For example, when the smallpox outbreak occurred - the idea was to inject smallpox to control the timing and severity of the disease. The methods of inoculation would vary. Most of the time, doctors would insert a small preserved smallpox scab under the skin. The reasoning behind this is to give the patient a controlled dose of the disease to control the severity and timing. However, this method was not perfect. Some people would contract severe smallpox and die from the inoculation. Smallpox that has been contracted from inoculation was contagious so the practice would cause unintended outbreaks. Around two or three percent of those who were inoculated against smallpox have either died, had an outbreak or caught other diseases.

In the 1790s, a smallpox vaccine was curated by Edward Jenner, a British physician and scientist. Some refer to Jenner as the father of vaccines. Jenner found that those who contracted cowpox were immune to smallpox. Pus from infected cattle was used to develop the vaccine. This is where the word “vaccine” comes into play because the word originates from the Latin word for cow. Cowpox did not spread from person to person which removes the problem of possible contagions. 

The idea of being vaccinated with cowpox was faced with heavy criticism. The criticism would include sanitation, religious and political reasoning. Today, smallpox is extremely rare due to vaccines. In the United States, the last naturally occurring smallpox outbreak happened in 1949. After 31 years, the World Health Assembly had stated that smallpox was essentially eradicated. Since then, no naturally occurring cases of smallpox happened.

In 1840, the government pushed for vaccination over inoculation. The government started by offering free vaccines at the public workhouses where they were faced with resistance from the people. Nadja Burbach, a history professor, stated that, “It would be like saying, the only place you could get a free vaccination is if you went to a welfare office.”

The anti-vaccination movement was organized when the government made vaccines mandatory in 1853. Anti-vaxxers tend to have varying reasons as to why they are against vaccinations. A few common reasons tend to stem from worry of the side effects, a preference for natural remedies and/or fear of the government. Meaning, some believe the government would resort to using the general public as guinea pigs. 

At the time, people of the working-class were skeptical since they lacked the right to vote in England. “There’s a lot of pushback against the idea that people should have to do something that the government is telling them to do, when they are not actually equal and free citizens,” Durbach added.

Protests regarding anti-vaccination occurred and many activists would wave a written phrase that said, “Better a felon’s cell than a poisoned babe.” It got to the point where mothers would give birth and then relocate to avoid being tracked by public health officials and some would even pay doctors to issue false vaccination certificates. When some parents went to go get their child or children vaccinated, they would attempt to suck out the vaccine. In Texas, there are anti-vaxxers that emphasize on the phrase "liberty over safety." Meaning, they are willing to devote unconditional personal freedom for themselves at the cost of public health.

Some former anti-vaxxers will end up urging people to get the vaccinated after personally experiencing the horrors of COVID-19. Many people may go through the "it wouldn't happen to me" phase before learning the true consequences themselves. In this video, some doctors would feel disappointed when patients would refuse to get the vaccine and would later end up testing positive for COVID-19.

In theory, the new vaccines were much safer than inoculation but most of the general public was not convinced. The smallpox death rate in children was reduced by 50 percent after the mandate was passed. The real problem that people may be against would be the way the vaccinations were administered rather than the vaccine itself. Sterilization was a huge issue because doctors would use the same instrument for multiple children in a row. This led to infections in multiple children.

The huge anti-vaccination movement settled down once cities in the United States introduced exemptions to the mandates. The British government granted exemptions to the smallpox mandate for those who applied for one. The anti-vaccination movement diminished after. Vaccines have many pros attached. Vaccines help prevent diseases that can potentially sicken people, vaccines will go through the Food and Drug Administration, also known as the FDA, to be investigated and they are made to help protect you and others. 

Vaccines still present some cons that people tend to be worried or skeptical about. Each and every vaccine is made differently and it does not always cater to every individual. People can still experience any allergy or become sick. Those with weak immune systems usually cannot be vaccinated and must stay near a health provider for supervision. The solution to these problems is to usually check in with a doctor.

The side effects of vaccines vary person to person. The symptoms are typically mild but some do not experience any side effects at all. Some symptoms would involve things like mild fevers, fatigue, pain, redness and/or swelling at the injection sight.

To continue to combat any vaccination oppositions, laws have been passed to require vaccinations for the sake of public health. There is a belief that diseases were eradicating due to the improvement of sanitation and hygiene. But, this was quickly dismissed due to the resurfacing of diseases. Vaccines are sometimes seen as useless by some people because it won’t “fully protect you.” Vaccinations were created to control the severity of the disease. This leads into the idea that since certain diseases are eradicated, it means that vaccines are no longer needed. This is also false. As long as people continue to get vaccinated, it will prevent the disease from recurring.

I believe many of us have all read stories of those who have passed away from COVID-19 and witnessed the anti-vaccination movement during the peak of COVID-19. The topic of anti-vaccination is filled with a long history and is still being discussed today. It is difficult to see if the topic of anti-vaccination and/or vaccination will diminish. Regardless of personal beliefs, I believe it teaches us that we should still continue to learn and educate ourselves so that we are aware of the possible outcomes and consequences.

Stay safe everyone,

Becky Vorabouth

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