The war against tobacco, an example to fight against anti-vaccines

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As of today, about 27% of American adults remain unvaccinated against Covid-19.

Of these, 15% strongly resist vaccination, but the remaining 12%

and can be considered a group of

.

Reaching them is a major challenge against Covid, but also for future pandemics and for any type of vaccine.

"In the midst of much hateful noise, full of falsehoods and purely political, we believe that public health should not lose its voice," claim several experts from the

.

The article is signed by

, professor of Molecular Biology at Yale University, and two professors from Harvard University:

, an expert in Public Health Leadership, and

, emeritus of the Department of Epidemiology and Infectious Diseases.

These authors suggest that the lessons learned from the

could be extrapolated to what is happening today with vaccines.

They recount the important

to counteract the messages of "glamor and normality" with which the tobacco companies influenced millions of people.

At that time almost half of American adults smoked, compared to 12.5% ​​who do so today.

The power of data

Scientific evidence of the harms of tobacco was first collected in a 1964 government report, but its effects were minimal because

.

It was not until 1986 that C. Everett Koop presented epidemiological and biological data showing that

is one of the main

, while also revealing the associated damage caused by passive smoking.

Koop and others were vilified by the tobacco industry, which mounted an

to spread misinformation about tobacco use, stressing its economic importance and taking a stand against restrictions on individual liberty.

Two 1981 studies turned the tables by documenting that nonsmoking wives of smokers had a

wives of nonsmokers.

At least a dozen other studies in the years that followed demonstrated the dangers of "secondhand" smoke, and what was initially a specific concern of smokers became everyone's problem.

.

However, in 2000 the Supreme Court rejected the FDA's efforts to restrict nicotine and tobacco products and it was not until 2009 that it was allowed to restrict sales to youth and require health warning labels.

Old campaign of a tobacco company. THE WORLD

During that battle, social strategies have been shown to be more influential than political ones, including

and

, work, schools, restaurants, bars and airplanes.

Media messages from athletes, artists and actors have also been important, as well as forceful counter-advertising.

The

campaign, launched in 2012 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), continues to help people quit smoking.

Other reducing measures have been tax increases and tobacco advertising restrictions.

"The efforts made by the

-vaccine movement , which is not new, are thriving during the Covid-19 pandemic and

", explain the authors of the article, stressing that, although it is not financed by a single industry, this movement has the support of certain political figures, doctors and communication companies that

.

Added to this is the vast amount of misinformation available online about the safety and efficacy of vaccines.

"While the wars on tobacco initially involved public relations and advertising campaigns, right-wing media and social media now promote

to control behavior, sterilize the vaccinated, or harm the fetuses".

The authors say there

.

One is the time required to see their effects: Interventions to prevent smoking and chronic disease often take decades to materialize, while

.

CDC data clearly shows that Covid-19 vaccines have reduced hospitalizations and deaths in the United States, and that vaccination also prevents indirect damage to health systems.

"We believe there is a need to counter vaccine misinformation with a

, illustrating the damage caused by Covid-19 and the power of vaccines," they suggest. these Yale and Harvard professors, who insist that "getting vaccinated and booster dosed should be the accepted social norm during a pandemic."

They bet on mimicking anti-smoking strategies in a

that could feature

;

and health workers showing the strain that Covid-19 puts on doctors and on patients with other conditions.

On the other hand, these experts believe that efforts can be redoubled to provide rigorous and reliable information on vaccines in the same channels in which misinformation is currently consumed.

Prejudice on others, the turning point

They contend that public health professionals have known for years that tobacco use causes cancer, although scientific knowledge alone had little effect on smoking.

But some insights can be imported from the battle-hardened anti-tobacco process: "Just as

for tobacco control, conveying the message that

and the health care system can be effective," they say, proposing a new, well-funded, multifaceted communication effort to change the behavior of the vaccine hesitant.

And they end with a warning: "Freedom of choice remains because people can still smoke cigarettes and refuse vaccines, but the road map outlined in the case of tobacco shows that the public mind can lean towards public health and social good. With vaccination, this work shouldn't take decades. It needs to start immediately."

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