A Nursing Approach to the Largest Measles Outbreak in Recent U.S. History: Lessons Learned Battling Homegrown Vaccine Hesitancy

Abstract

Immunization is widely lauded as the greatest achievement in public health. However, vaccination rates have been dropping in developed countries due to vaccine hesitancy. Vaccine hesitancy has been listed by the World Health Organization as one of the top ten threats to global health for 2019. During a recent measles outbreak in New York, a group of nurses became ambassadors for immunization, bringing evidence-based health information to the Orthodox Jewish community in a culturally-sensitive manner that was known as the Engaging in Medical Education with Sensitivity (EMES) Initiative. Using a grassroots community-based approach, healthcare providers countered widely-distributed misinformation using evidence and empathy. This article will provide useful tips to address vaccine hesitancy through effective communication and evidence-based answers to common and uncommon vaccine myths for communities and discuss implications for nurses faced with vaccine hesitancy.