A video trending online features a mother who believes her child’s death is due to injuries related to hepatitis B vaccination. The baby’s official cause of death is SIDS, but the mother claims that an independent autopsy proved the vaccine was responsible for her child’s death.
The emotional nature of the story and widespread misinformation about the hepatitis B vaccine elevates its risk. While any death is tragic, there is no evidence that the vaccine was related to the infant’s death. Responding with empathy and acknowledging the concerns of parents is recommended, as is explaining the importance of the hepatitis B vaccine to protect infants. Prebunking messaging may explain that the vaccine is given at birth to prevent transmission of the virus from mother to child. Additionally, most people who have hepatitis are not aware of it, and infants can be exposed to the virus by other loved ones who come in contact with the baby. Messaging may also emphasize that the hepatitis B vaccine is one of the safest vaccines available, with an extremely low risk of serious side effects.
