The death of trust

Trust in vaccines is collapsing, fuelled by political failures, corporate greed, and scientific conflicts of interest. If we don’t act now, preventable diseases will continue their deadly comeback.

When I was six, my family lived in New York City. That year, the little girl next door fell victim to polio, which gripped the neighbourhood with fear. Children received gamma globulin injections, providing only temporary immunity at best. Despite it being summer, parents kept their children away from parks and public swimming pools. There was no official “lockdown,” but many parents refused to let their children leave home.

My parents moved us to the mountains for the summer, hoping the clear air would offer some protection against infection. While we were away, the girl next door spent months in an “iron lung” and returned home with a leg brace. She survived but with a disability; unfortunately, many other children weren’t as lucky. This drama unfolded every summer. Everyone felt relieved when autumn brought an end to the polio season, but the cycle of fear would begin again the following year.

Polio was once known as infantile paralysis because children were particularly susceptible, but adults were also affected. Former United States President, Franklin Roosevelt, fell victim to polio in 1921 and never walked again. He became patron of the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis, a charity established to raise money for research. The organisation later became known as the “March of Dimes,” because people were urged to donate one ten-cent coin (a coin that happens to feature an image of Roosevelt). The money contributed by the public was used to fund research conducted by Jonas Salk, a scientist working at the University of Pittsburgh.

Then came the astounding news. Salk had created a vaccine that could prevent polio. Initial results looked promising, but a large-scale study was required to be sure the vaccine was safe and effective. The government called for 1.3 million children to participate in a nationwide double-blind trial and my parents did not hesitate to enrol me.

I can remember queuing up in the school hall for my three injections and red lollipops they gave me for being “such a brave boy” and not crying. The vaccine worked. That was the good news. The bad news was that I was in the control group. The injections I received contained nothing but saltwater. So, along with the millions of children who didn’t participate in the trial, I had to have the shots all over again.

Jonas Salk became deservedly famous. He was the son of immigrants and the first in his family to attend a university. (It seems that legal immigration may indeed have benefits.) Salk’s fame did not translate into riches. He didn’t try to patent his discovery and neither did his university. They wanted the vaccine to be widely disseminated so they could rid the world of a terrible scourge; money was never their goal.

The eradication of polio in much of the world was one of the great triumphs of modern medicine. Yet today, we find ourselves facing an unsettling paradox: despite the availability of safe and effective vaccines, diseases once thought nearly eliminated—measles, whooping cough, and even polio in some regions—are making a troubling resurgence. And we should indeed be troubled.

Take measles, for example. It is one of the most contagious diseases known to medicine. A person infected with measles can spread the virus to 90% of unvaccinated people who come into close contact. Before vaccines, measles outbreaks were a grim fact of life, causing severe complications such as pneumonia, encephalitis, and death. The disease was not merely a childhood inconvenience; it could be devastating, particularly to infants and those with weakened immune systems. Similarly, whooping cough (pertussis) can be fatal to newborns who are too young to be vaccinated. When people refuse or delay vaccinations, they not only put themselves at risk but also endanger the most vulnerable members of society—those who cannot be vaccinated due to medical conditions or age.

​Australia was declared free of endemic measles transmission by the World Health Organisation in March 2014. This declaration indicated that an endemic measles strain had not been circulating in the country for several years. However, cases continue to occur, primarily due to international travel and subsequent transmission among unvaccinated individuals. ​

In recent years, Australia has experienced a resurgence of measles cases. In 2019, there were 285 reported cases, up from 81 in 2017. More recently, in March 2025, new cases have been detected in Victoria and New South Wales, with exposure sites including hospitals, clinics, bars, shopping centres, and fast-food outlets. These incidents highlight the importance of maintaining high vaccination coverage to prevent the re-establishment of endemic transmission.

So, if vaccines are safe and effective, why are so many parents refusing to have their children vaccinated? The answer is complex and rooted in a mix of misinformation, ideological bias, and legitimate concerns about the behaviour of powerful institutions. The pharmaceutical industry, which once operated under a semblance of public service, is now widely seen as a profit-driven machine. The opioid crisis in the United States—where drug manufacturers knowingly flooded the market with addictive painkillers—destroyed public trust. If those same companies now promote vaccines, some ask, why should they be believed?

Political mismanagement has exacerbated the problem. During the COVID-19 pandemic, shifting public health messages, contradictory policies, and perceived overreach bred cynicism. Lockdowns, mandates, and inconsistent advice made many sceptical of government-mandated health interventions.

The scientific community, too, must share some blame. Universities and researchers, once bastions of open inquiry and public good, have become increasingly entangled with commercial interests. A Stanford University study found that 98% of pharmaceutical research papers sponsored by drug companies reported that the drugs were effective, while only 79% of non-industry-sponsored studies reported positive results. The bias is obvious. When financial incentives dictate scientific outcomes, public trust erodes.

So how do we fix this? The solution must be broad and society-wide. Politicians must commit to transparency in public health decision-making and resist the temptation to use science as a political tool. Governments should establish independent oversight bodies to review health policies and counter misinformation with clear, consistent messaging. Universities must reaffirm their commitment to the public good by prioritising research integrity over commercial interests. Scientists must be willing to call out conflicts of interest in their fields and advocate for greater transparency in research funding. And pharmaceutical companies must rebuild credibility by demonstrating corporate responsibility—ensuring fair pricing, transparent trials, and ethical practices.

But the responsibility does not end with institutions. Communities must play their part in restoring faith in vaccination. Schools should incorporate robust health education that teaches the history of infectious diseases and the role vaccines have played in saving millions of lives. Social media companies, too, must be held accountable for allowing the spread of vaccine misinformation. And most importantly, individuals must engage with evidence-based information, resisting the temptation to fall for alarmist narratives and conspiracy theories.

The return of diseases like measles and whooping cough is not just a public health issue—it is a test of our collective ability to trust in reason, science, and the moral responsibility we hold to protect the most vulnerable. We stand at a crossroads. Either we let fear and misinformation dictate our future, or we reclaim the progress made by previous generations who knew firsthand the devastation of preventable disease. The choice is ours.