8 Facts You Need To Know About Vaccines
By Josh Sager
MYTH #1: Vaccines cause autism.
No credible evidence has emerged that vaccines have any effect on autism rates. The so-called “anti-vax” movement argues vaccinations may cause medical conditions such as autism, but overwhelming scientific research suggests this is not accurate.
MYTH #2: Vaccines can infect my kids with the disease it’s trying to infect.
Vaccines have been in safe use for decades. They follow strict FDA regulations. While vaccines may cause mild symptoms, these are a body’s immune response to the vaccine, not the disease itself.
MYTH #3: Vaccines aren’t worth the risks.
There are no credible studies linking vaccines to long term health issues. Even allergic reactions are exceedingly rare, with one severe allergic reaction every 1 or 2 million injections.
MYTH #4: We don’t need to vaccinate because infection rates are already minimal in the US.
Researchers link failing immunization rates to recent resurgences of vaccine-preventable diseases. In 2010 California saw 9,210 cases of whooping cough, more than any year since the whooping cough vaccine was introduced in the 1940s.
MYTH #5: People know about vaccines and we don’t have to increase awareness.
US public health officials and doctors have been combating misconceptions about vaccine safety for 20+ years. President Trump has energized the anti-vax movement through his embrace of discredited theories linking vaccines to autism.
MYTH #6: It’s the individual’s choice to get a vaccine and that choice doesn’t affect other people.
Widespread vaccinations reduce the risk of infection or those who, for medical reasons, may not be able to receive the vaccines themselves.
MYTH #7: Increased sanitation and better hygiene have led to decreased infections, not vaccines.
No matter how sanitary you live, the efficacy of vaccinations is clear. Take measles in the US. Measles infections dropped from 400,000 cases yearly to 25,000 within 7 years of being introduced in 1963. Other conditions like hygiene, sanitation, and nutrition didn’t change measurably during that period. Consequently, vaccines were the cause.
MYTH #8: Vaccines contain unsafe toxins.
The FDA has approved the trace amounts of chemicals used in approved vaccines. There is no scientific evidence that the low levels of chemicals in the vaccines can be toxic.
This article originally appeared in the Dress A Med newsletter.
