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The Disinformation Games

Your safe space for games and challenges related to misinformation and disinformation!

 

Case study: The Vaccination Problem

Vaccination is a topic of paramount social importance. We live longer and healthier lives, and medical research and innovation have been a driver for this for many years. Vaccination is one of the most important pillars of public health, but they also raise a lot of concern. In many countries some vaccines are mandatory. Where is the truth? What are the real choices we have - as individuals and as a society? How can we make sure that we have a well-informed opinion on this topic?

The Vaccination Problem

Recommended for: high school students, university students, adults

Available building blocks: 6

Tags: vaccines, healthcare, conspiracy theories, disinformation, eradicated diseases, herd immunity, religious beliefs

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Difficulty level
All case studies were designed for learners in upper-secondary education, higher education and adult education.

Resources
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  • controlling the mix of resources and taking out more difficult texts (e.g. scientific papers) and replacing them with more easily accessible language in videos or popular blogs;
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Building block 1. Vaccines content

A great part of the debate around vaccines and vaccination is centered around fears about the composition of the vaccines. This building block presents information on both sides of the debate in the context of misrepresentation of facts, disinformation and manipulation techniques.

Building block 2. Religious beliefs and vaccination

Are vaccines compatible with religious beliefs? We delve into the issue of personal freedom vs. public interest and discuss how personal choices can lead to harmful impact to others. Should vaccination be mandatory and to what extent? This building block also covers many of the misrepresentations and identifies the real and false claims about the position which the main religions in Europe have on vaccination.

Building block 3. Profiles of pro/anti-vaxxers

Who are the antivaxxers? What determines the negative attitude to vaccination?
What is the relation between social status, level of education and the opinion on vaccination? What is the impact of social media?

Building block 4. Eradicated diseases and herd immunity

The use of vaccines has led to the eradication of life-threatening diseases such as the endemic yellow fever, rubella and respiratory diphtheria. The latest outbursts of measles, possibly caused by growing vaccination hesitancy and refusal, challenges the concepts of herd immunity and elimination of lethal infections. This building block gives ground to debate on the efficacy of vaccines and their positive impact on the human life-span.

Building block 5. Vaccines safety and adverse effects

Vaccines are generally considered safe and effective but according to some sources are also to be blamed for causing autism. The topic of mandatory vaccination creates fertile ground for misinformation and disinformation. This building block explores the ratio between vaccines safety and adverse effects.

Building block 6. Vaccines and conspiracy theories

This building block is about vaccines and conspiracy theories, driven by vaccine scepticism, fear or something else. Learning about conspiracy theories in general and getting a better understanding of this phenomenon brings more clarity and greater awareness of the multi-layered entanglement of emotional and rational motivations and argumentations related to vaccines. Mastering this building block is a great foundation for understanding and challenging other conspiracy theories.

Warning

You have selected a topic from the Disinformation Games area. Please be advised that this area hosts, or links to, resources that contain misinformation or disinformation. The presence of such materials is to assist in developing and sustaining skills for navigating and detecting disinformation. To achieve this goal – and with clear intent – none of the materials are explicitly marked as true or not true.