What happens when vaccine hesitancy and medical misinformation evolve into an anti-science aggression? While navigating the COVID-19 pandemic, we found ourselves facing daily monumental decisions regarding our health. As the pandemic continued, many of us became well-informed about viral loads, the effectiveness of masks in preventing transmission, and the critical question of whether the vaccine would benefit or potentially harm us. The introduction of the COVID vaccine brought these decisions to the forefront of our lives along with a debate about politics, identity, and privacy. We spoke with Peter Hotez, MD, PhD, scientist, pediatrician, and the author of The Deadly Rise of Anti-Science: A Scientist's Warning, about the origins of vaccine skepticism, the impact of community outreach and patient education, and lessons learned in countering the spread of medical misinformation.

What happens when vaccine hesitancy and medical misinformation evolve into an anti-science aggression? While navigating the <a href="https://www.webmd.com/covid/coronavirus" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.webmd.com/covid/coronavirus&source=gmail&ust=1698347679039000&usg=AOvVaw2D80bomL9-6PYiphVHXsT0">COVID-19 pandemic</a>, we found ourselves facing daily monumental decisions regarding our health. As the pandemic continued, many of us became well-informed about viral loads, the effectiveness of masks in preventing transmission, and the critical question of whether the vaccine would benefit or potentially harm us. The introduction of the <a href="https://www.webmd.com/vaccines/covid-19-vaccine/covid-19-vaccine" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.webmd.com/vaccines/covid-19-vaccine/covid-19-vaccine&source=gmail&ust=1698347679039000&usg=AOvVaw2Vqdwa-RFsdD-nYBEwJKpx">COVID vaccine</a> brought these decisions to the forefront of our lives along with a debate about politics, identity, and privacy. We spoke with <a href="https://peterhotez.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://peterhotez.org/&source=gmail&ust=1698347679039000&usg=AOvVaw1945I_bwYfZWzwNDQPf64X">Peter Hotez, MD, PhD</a>, scientist, pediatrician, and the author of <a href="https://www.press.jhu.edu/books/title/33293/deadly-rise-anti-science" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.press.jhu.edu/books/title/33293/deadly-rise-anti-science&source=gmail&ust=1698347679039000&usg=AOvVaw0wabF2fq68fzxQdq-4ndUL">The Deadly Rise of Anti-Science: A Scientist's Warning</a>, about the origins of vaccine skepticism, the impact of community outreach and patient education, and lessons learned in countering the spread of <a href="https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/features/medical-information-to-trust" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/features/medical-information-to-trust&source=gmail&ust=1698347679039000&usg=AOvVaw2pX-ANuwreTlPVJ-cC-f5y">medical misinformation</a>.

WebMD Chief Physician Editor Neha Pathak, MD, and Chief Medical Officer, John Whyte, MD, MPH, explore fascinating stories to find the unexpected things that help us understand our health.

Health Discovered

What happens when vaccine hesitancy and medical misinformation evolve into an anti-science aggression? While navigating the , we found ourselves facing daily monumental decisions regarding our health. As the pandemic continued, many of us became...