This story is free to read because readers choose to support LAist. If you find value in independent local reporting, make a donation to power our newsroom today.
Heidi Larson: Why Is Trust In Vaccines As Important As The Vaccines Themselves?
Listen
8:45
Listen to the Story
Part 3 of the TED Radio Hour episode Lessons From The Summer
In 2003, polio reemerged in twenty countries that had long been declared polio-free. Anthropologist Heidi Larson says to stop the spread of disease, we need to first build trust in vaccines. A version of this segment was originally heard in the April episode, Inoculation.
About Heidi Larson
Heidi Larson is a professor of anthropology at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. She is also the founding director of The Vaccine Confidence Project, a WHO Centre of Excellence that tracks vaccine hesitancy and offers mechanisms to bridge trust as well as curb misinformation.
Larson's research focuses on the social and political factors that affect uptake of health interventions and influence policies. Her particular interests are risk and rumour management and building public trust. She is also the author of Stuck: How Vaccine Rumors Start—and Why They Don't Go Away.
She previously headed Global Immunisation Communication at UNICEF, chaired GAVI's Advocacy Task Force, and served on the WHO SAGE Working Group on vaccine hesitancy.
You can follow us on Facebook @TEDRadioHour and email us at TEDRadioHour@npr.org.
Sponsored message
Copyright 2024 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. 9(MDA1OTI3MjQ5MDEyODUwMTE2MzM1YzNmZA004))
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our connected community. We are free to tell the full truth, to hold power to account without fear or favor, and to follow facts wherever they lead. Our only loyalty is to our audiences and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen our community.
Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive from readers like you will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.
If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive from readers like you will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.
If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
