Mother follows anti-vaccine advice, 4-year-old son dies of flu

In Colorado, a 4-year-old boy died of the flu last week. The child was hospitalized after being found unconscious by his mother, it turned out that he had had an attack. After being hospitalized for four days, the child died. previously, mom asked for advice on flu treatment on Facebook anti-vaccine group, “Stop Mandatory Vaccination”.

She turns to anti-vaccines to cure the flu

Less than a week before this tragedy, three of her four children had the flu. The one who was the exception was the one who died, he developed the symptoms a little later. To heal children and protect those who are not yet sick, the doctor prescribed Tamiflu, the most widely used anti-viral anti-flu medicine, for the whole family. Only, the American mother decides not to go and get him from the pharmacy. Instead, she goes to the anti-vaccine Facebook group, of which she has been a member since at least 2017 according to NBC, to ask how to treat her boys.

The mother explains that she tried vitamin C, lavender and peppermint oil to relieve the symptoms. Refusing to give this medication to her sons, she asked for other advice to treat them naturally. None of the members of the group suggested that he give Tamiflu (some even recommended that he not do it) or, at least, go to see a doctor. They are then advised to use breast milk, thyme and elderberry which, let’s remember, are not approved or recommended for treating flu or colds. Without specifying which method she had finally chosen, she thanked those who replied by saying: “Perfect, I’ll try that”.

Facebook moved over boy’s death in NBC press release : “It is a tragedy and our thoughts go out to his family and loved ones. We don’t want vaccine misinformation on Facebook, that’s why we are working hard to reduce them everywhere on the platform, including in private groups “. For its part, the Colorado Department of Public Health confirmed the death of the child, adding that he did not have a file indicating whether he had been vaccinated or not. In posts dating back to 2017, the mother explains, however, not to vaccinate her children against the flu. “While the flu is circulating, it is not too late to receive the vaccine, and we recommend that children over 6 months and all those who have not had the annual injection do so”, he adds.

The problem of anti-vaccine networks on social networks

Stop Mandatory Vaccination is one of the largest anti-vaccine groups on Facebook. It has more than 178,000 members, known to spread conspiracy theories, claiming that epidemics of preventable diseases (measles, flu …) are “hoaxes” orchestrated by the government, and to contact the parents of deceased children. by claiming, without any evidence, that vaccines are responsible for their death. A study by the American Academy of Family Physicians had previously revealed that 59% of parents said that their child had missed the annual flu shot at least once because of the “misinformation or misunderstanding”.

It must be said that anti-vaccine groups are numerous on Facebook, and that the comments spread there very quickly. Last year, the American firm took action when the measles epidemic was the most severe in decades. It has thus limited the scope of “anti-vax” groups, in particular by preventing them from being found from the search bar and by not authorizing its members to broadcast advertising or create fundraising campaigns. Since September, pop-ups appear to encourage people to search for information on vaccines from the competent authorities when a search for vaccines is carried out on the social network.

The “advice” posted there can have serious consequences, says Kolina Koltai. This researcher from the University of Texas at Austin has been studying the behavior of the anti-vaccine movement on social networks since 2015. She recounts thus having seen, like the mother of the little boy who died, mothers asking for advice there to treat their children sick with measles or cancer, and who received medically problematic advice. “These communities have become a refuge or resource for parents and women to connect with others and ask for help“, she explains. However, the information obtained is often questionable, not sourced, or even proven to be false. It’s very dangerous, and it can have serious repercussions, like in the story of this little boy : “This is what we are warning about”, says Kolina Koltai. In France, for reliable information on the vaccine and the management of influenza, it is possible to consult the Health Insurance website and www.vaccination-info-service.fr.