Immunize Nevada cancels events after social media harassment

Marcella Corona | Reno Gazette Journal

Show Caption Hide Caption How the anti-vax movement brought the measles back from near extinction Outbreaks across the U.S. have forced officials to declare emergencies. Why are we starting to see the rise of these outbreaks? It dates back to the anti-vax movement.

Immunize Nevada, a nonprofit organization aimed at promoting vaccinations, canceled two events this month after it said anti-vaccination activists began harassing the restaurant vendors hired to host the events.

Several people posted bad reviews for each vendor for supporting the organization's events on Facebook and Yelp. The comments were bringing down the overall review ratings, according to Immunize Nevada executive director Heidi Parker.

The events were scheduled for Dec. 6 in Reno and Dec. 13 in Las Vegas.

The idea was to host two breakfasts called “Big Shots,” which replaced the annual Silver Syringe Awards, Parker said.

“We planned the breakfast event as an end-of-the-year celebration, and we had Big Shot award nominees,” she said.

Instead, the coalition organized one statewide online event on Dec. 13 to celebrate the importance of vaccinations. It raised $14,726.

Parker said the total was significantly more than the estimated $8,000 or $10,000 raised at a previous Silver Syringe Awards event.

"We were actually able to make more on Big Shots, and the virtual event exceeded our expectations," she said.

The change was made to avoid potential threats from anti-vaccination activists at the in-person events. It was unknown who was behind the online comments.

A financial hit

With sponsorships from groups such as the Community Health Alliance, Immunize Nevada booked the venues and made food arrangements several months in advance.

The organization said it lost a few thousand dollars after canceling both events.

“We typically get about 200 attendees at these celebration events at each location,” Parker said, adding she believed the online heckling would take away from the celebration.

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Parker declined to name the two host sites but did say they were local small restaurant businesses that often host other community events.

“They were concerned about the image of their business and … what else was potentially going to happen with our event,” she said.

Immunize Nevada reported the hecklers to Facebook and Yelp, which took down the comments.

A growing concern

Parker said the recent wave of harassment by activists known as anti-vaxxers isn’t new. In July, a small group of protesters attended the annual Family Health Festival in Sun Valley, an event where local organizations provide health care, free vaccines, and food to the community in Reno-Sparks.

“Their goal was to get people to not vaccinate their kids and to file for an exemption,” Parker said of the protesters.

Nevada is one of several states that allow medical or religious exemptions for children in public schools. Although exemptions vary from state to state, all school immunization laws grant exemptions to children for medical reasons, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

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Forty-five states and Washington D.C. grant religious exemptions for those who have religious objections to immunizations. Currently, 15 states allow philosophical exemptions for those who object to immunizations because of personal, moral or other beliefs.

“The challenging part was that we know people turned away because of that, and unfortunately, didn’t get dinner for themselves that night,” she said.

Parker said the organization never filed a police report because the incidents, both in July and December, did not involve personal threats.

“But certainly, that has happened on a national level,” Parker said, citing a July report from NBC News on anti-vaccine groups harassing doctors.

An impact on health

Community Health Alliance provided $2,500 to sponsor the two events in December.

Vanessa Vancour, a spokeswoman for the Community Health Alliance, described the decision as unfortunate.

“We want to create places that are safe for people to seek health care needs,” Vancour said of public health providers. “If people are afraid of being harassed and potentially making a space that is so vulnerable unsafe, that is problematic.”

Vancour said public health events are usually aimed at targeting the most vulnerable populations that need medical services.

“That could potentially have a health impact in other areas,” she said. “What if they weren’t going to get a vaccination and were seeking something else, and now that health care is delayed even further.”

According to Immunize Nevada, vaccines administered annually by pharmacists has increased by 191 percent since 2011.

Immunization rates for children ages 19 to 35 months have also increased from 54 to 71 percent since 2008.

Marcella Corona is a breaking news reporter who covers crime and justice in Northern Nevada. Support her work by subscribing to RGJ.com.