OVERVIEW

With the recent decision by Facebook to fight 'Fake News' and the push by certain Anti-Vaccination groups to flood their service with propaganda concerning vaccine safety, counter to all establish scientific consensus, we would like to encourage Facebook to build a platform of education on the reality of vaccine safety.

Vaccines have been proven safe time and time again. From the CDC to every reputable medical journal confirming that vaccine injuries are not only exceptionally rare, but as we develop our ability to test for complications this risk factor will go from minuscule to non-existent probably in our lifetimes.

CDC information:

https://www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/research/iomreports/index.html

An article on Vox about consensus:

https://www.vox.com/cards/vaccines/does-scientific-community-support-vaccination

GOALS

Recently an anti-vaxxer by the name of Larry Cook who runs Stop Mandatory Vaccination has raised 10,000 USD to promote anti-vaccination propaganda on Facebook, potentially reaching millions of parents and using the emotional trauma of parents losing their children to scare them to their site. We would like Facebook to respond to this by either implementing a system of disclaimers on their and other anti-vaccine ads with links to the real data and established scientific consensus on vaccine safety. Alternatively we would call on Facebook to work with medical experts, science communicators and scientists in relevant fields to encourage and support education in this very important topic.

The truth is, the further the anti-vaccination makes ground with their fear and propaganda campaigns, the more the public and especially vulnerable children are at risk. Epidemics of preventable diseases have already started increasing in even fully developed countries like the United States. This is not just fighting ignorance, it is a concern of public health.

Epidemics in the USA:

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/16/upshot/measles-vaccination-california-students.html

http://www.kezi.com/content/news/Whooping-cough-cases-continue-to-spread-in-Lane-County-482992781.html