Anti-vaxxers are ‘nuts’ – Boris Johnson
Boris Johnson has said people opposed to vaccinations are “nuts” as he promoted an expanded programme of NHS flu jabs.
During a visit to a medical centre in east London, the Prime Minister asked staff what they thought of anti-vaxxers, adding: “There’s all these anti-vaxxers now. They are nuts, they are nuts.”
It comes after several polls have suggested some Britons are feeling apprehensive about having a Covid-19 vaccine.
A coronavirus jab is seen by many experts as a key route out of the pandemic.
The anti-vaccination movement has been growing globally in recent years, fuelled in part by social media.
We're expanding eligibility for the flu vaccination programme.
More info on who can now get it:➡️ https://t.co/K4J5p4bRW8
This expansion is part of our plan to protect the NHS this winter. You can help by getting a flu vaccination if eligible.#VaccinesWork | #ValueofVaccines
— Department of Health and Social Care (@DHSCgovuk) July 24, 2020
A paper published in The Lancet in 1998 by Dr Andrew Wakefield – and since widely discredited – suggested a link between the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine and autism in children, which led to a huge drop in MMR vaccine rates.
Last year, the World Health Organisation identified “vaccine hesitancy” as one of the top 10 health threats to the world.