Race-Based Vaccine Myths Spread Amid Measles Outbreaks

Race-Based Vaccine Myths Spread Amid Measles Outbreaks

As a measles outbreak in Texas worsens and other cases are reported in the country, misinformation about vaccines continues to spread, influencing public perception and fueling hesitancy. One recurring narrative falsely claims that Black children should follow a different vaccine schedule than children of other races because of alleged differences in immune systems. Some research has shown that people of African descent may demonstrate, on average, a stronger immune response to the rubella vaccine. However, the study’s authors state that the data does not support that there is a need for different vaccine schedules based on race. The claim spread in news and social media after it was brought up during Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Senate confirmation hearings, with social media posts both debunking and supporting this narrative.

One of the most popular social media posts on the topic came from Senator Angela Alsobrooks, who shared a video clip on X of her asking Kennedy about these claims during the confirmation hearing and expressing her concern about the dangers of this narrative. The post received approximately 164,000 likes and 30,000 reposts, and 15,000 comments as of February 19. While many commenters shared Alsobrooks’ concern, some perpetuated the misconception that biological differences in vaccine safety are supported by evidence. In some instances, commenters cited cases in which race-based medicine is used in other domains as justification for biological differences in medication effectiveness. But scientists have emphasized that race is a social construct, not a biological category, and using it as a proxy for genetics has led to harmful medical practices.

Despite decades of credible research showing that vaccines are not associated with autism, narratives linking vaccines to autism in Black children have also gained traction, sometimes citing a retracted study of 2004 CDC data. The study, which claimed that Black boys who received the MMR vaccine on schedule were diagnosed with autism at higher rates than other children who did not receive the vaccine on time, was retracted due to flawed methods and the lead author’s undisclosed ties to the anti-vaccine group, Children’s Health Defense. Other claims that vaccines cause autism cite a debunked study, commonly referred to as the “Mawson Study”, which is not about race-related risk but reports an alleged connection between vaccines and autism. However, the study was not published in a peer-reviewed journal, was funded by an anti-vaccine group, and authored by researchers with a history of publishing vaccine-related research that was later retracted. This belief, alongside other unfounded concerns about vaccine safety, may be fueling the decline in childhood vaccination rates, which has led to outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases like measles.