Free course

The MMR vaccine: public health, private fears

Free statement of participation on completion

A decade ago, the possibility of a link between the MMR vaccine and autism hit the media. Fear of the vaccine spread rapidly and, despite an almost unanimous consensus that the claim was unfounded, still persists today. This free course, The MMR vaccine: public health, private fears, will examine why this controversy took on such a life of its own and why parents still agonise about the vaccine.

Course learning outcomes

After studying this course, you should be able to:

understand more of the scientific factors that relate to the dispute about the safety of the MMR vaccine in the UK
assess the strength of arguments for and against the use of the MMR vaccine
show how issues of risk, trust, communication and media representation of science and medicine have a strong bearing on public perception of the MMR vaccine
explain why there is such a strong consensus amongst the medical profession testifying to the safety of the MMR vaccine.

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First Published: 09/08/2012

Updated: 24/05/2019

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Course reviews

aileen Scott 14 September 2023 1:16PM

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Content now 20years old. the info from the time has not changed, but there are many longitudinal studies that could be referenced to help learners understand the most up to date scientific evidence.

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Abigail Schiller 18 July 2019 11:40AM

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Thoroughly informative and thought provoking. A well-rounded view of the subject up to the time of writing.

However, the content appears to be 15 years old, surely it's time for an update???

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OpenLearn Moderator (moderator) 19 July 2019 11:02AM

Hi Abigail,

Thank you very much for contacting us. We appreciate your feedback highly which has been taken on board, so thank you very much for your message.

All the best, OL Moderator.

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The MMR vaccine: public health, private fears

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