Anti-vaccine research has risen by up to 400 percent around the world, online search trends show. More people around the globe question now whether vaccinations are safe and whether vaccinations are linked to autism than they did 12 months ago. The dire revelation follows a study into online search data, compiled by analysts at the US-based company SEMrush. The study’s results shared exclusively with Express.co.uk, show interest in the safety of vaccinations is not contained to one nation or group of internet users.
Olga Andrienko, head of global marketing at SEMrush, said: “Though online search trend analysis, we are able to view the specific terms people are searching for in relation to the anti-vaccination movement, as well as noting the difference in volumes.
“It is, therefore, possible to view what aspects of the movement people are hesitant or curious about, which have prompted them to turn to the internet for answers.
“The clear increase in global searches for ‘anti-vaccine’ demonstrates that interest in the anti-vaccination movement has spread terms from January 2018 to February 2019.”
The news comes and localised outbreaks of measles in the US and part of Europe are on the rise.
SEMrush’s analysts investigated the online search trends for a total of 117 countries, including the UK, United States, Germany, Poland and Norway.
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Anti-vaccine movement: More people globally are questioning the safety of vaccines (Image: GETTY)
Since February last year, there has been a 400 percent increase in the number of people looking up online the term “anti-vaccine”.
There has also been a 175 percent increase in the number of searches for “do vaccines cause autism”.
A common thread throughout the anti-vaxxer moment, is the idea vaccinations are linked to the developmental disorder.
There are, however, no scientific indicators to suggest this is the case and the NHS here in the UK and the World Health Organisation (WHO) both warn against these claims.
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The WHO listed this year anti-vaccine sentiments, or vaccine hesitancy as it called it, as one of the most pressing health threats facing the globe.
The health group said: “Vaccination is one of the most cost-effective ways of avoiding disease – it currently prevents two to three million deaths a year, and a further 1.5 million could be avoided if global coverage of vaccinations improved.
