icon_search

The truth about vaccines: They’re safe, effective and popular

201204-Med-Center-Health-COVID-vaccine-hero-image

Some social media groups and celebrities say vaccines pose a danger to you and your family. But in fact, the opposite is true. The World Health Organization (WHO) recently named vaccine hesitancy—skipping vaccines because of doubts about them—as one of the biggest threats to global health.

Don’t fall for the hype. Vaccines protect you, your children, and your community from many deadly diseases. Here are the straight facts about immunization.

Myth: Vaccines dont workand may even make people sick.

Truth: Because they’re given to healthy people, vaccines have very high safety standards. Most side effects are minor—say, a sore arm or mild fever—and go away quickly.

Vaccines are made with weak or dead germs, so they can’t give you the flu, measles, or other diseases. Rarely, serious side effects do occur. But the risk of getting very sick, or even dying, from those illnesses is far higher.

In fact, that’s one of the main ways we know vaccines work. They’ve saved millions of lives and wiped out diseases like smallpox altogether.

Myth: Vaccines cause autism or sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).

Truth: Kids get vaccines against 14 diseases during their first two years. That’s also when health problems such as autism and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) arise.

Because of the timing, parents may wonder if vaccines are responsible. However, experts have conducted multiple large studies and found no links.

The one exception—a flawed research study saying the measles, mumps, and rubella shot led to autism—was retracted. And the doctor who published it lost his license.

Myth: Giving kids too many shots at once overloads their immune system.

Truth: Pediatricians and other experts work together each year to develop vaccine schedules. They base recommendations on the latest data about children’s immune systems at different ages. So the guidelines are carefully timed to offer the most protection.

And remember, children are exposed to thousands of live germs during daily life. That’s far more than the dead or inactivated ones received through vaccines. Immunization boosts, rather than suppresses, their immune systems.

Myth: Its better to get exposed to a disease than get immunity from a shot.

Truth: Getting a disease may give you future protection from illness. But with a vaccine, you can avoid getting sick—and the complications that come with it.

In the 2019-2020 season, as many as 740,000 people were hospitalized and 62,000 people died from flu alone. More widespread flu shots may have prevented many of these illnesses and made others less severe.

Myth: Most parents are opting out of vaccination.

Truth: People questioning vaccines are a vocal minority. Most parents choose to protect their children, and everyone else, by getting shots as recommended. Taking this important step for your family’s health puts you in good company.

Bibliography

  • “5 Things You May Not Know About Vaccines.” American Academy of Pediatrics. www.healthychildren.org/English/safety-prevention/immunizations/Pages/5-things-you-may-not-know-about-vaccines.aspx.
  • “2019-2020 U.S. Flu Season: Preliminary In-Season Burden Estimates.”Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. www.cdc.gov/flu/about/burden/preliminary-in-season-estimates.htm.
  • “Autism and Vaccines.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/concerns/autism.html.
  •  “Child Immunization Schedule: Why Is It Like That?”American Academy of Pediatrics. www.healthychildren.org/English/safety-prevention/immunizations/Pages/Child-Immunization-Schedule-Why-Is-It-Like-That.aspx.
  • “An Important Immunization Message from the AAP.” American Academy of Pediatrics. https://www.healthychildren.org/English/safety-prevention/immunizations/Pages/An-Important-Immunization-Message-from-the-President-of-the-American-Academy-of-Pediatrics.aspx.
  •  “Making the Vaccine Decision: Addressing Common Concerns.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. www.cdc.gov/vaccines/parents/why-vaccinate/vaccine-decision.html.
  • “Multiple Vaccinations at Once.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/concerns/multiple-vaccines-immunity.html.
  • “Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and Vaccines.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/concerns/sids.html.
  • “Six Common Misconceptions About Immunization: ‘Vaccines Cause Many Harmful Side Effects, Illnesses, and Even Death – Not to Mention Possible Long-Term Effects We Don’t Even Know About.’” World Health Organization. www.who.int/vaccine_safety/initiative/detection/immunization_misconceptions/en/index4.html.
  • “Six Common Misconceptions About Immunization: ‘Giving a Child Multiple Vaccinations for Different Diseases at the Same Time Increases the Risk of Harmful Side Effects and Can Overload the Immune System.’” World Health Organization. www.who.int/vaccine_safety/initiative/detection/immunization_misconceptions/en/index6.html.
  • “Vaccines.” National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health. www.niaid.nih.gov/research/vaccines.
  • “Vaccine Effectiveness: How Well Do the Flu Vaccines Work?” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. www.cdc.gov/flu/vaccines-work/vaccineeffect.htm.
  • “Vaccine Safety.” U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. www.vaccines.gov/basics/safety.
  • “Vaccine Safety: Myths and Misinformation.” S. Geoghegan et al. Frontiers in Microbiology. Vol. 11, no. 372, www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2020.00372/full.
  •  “What Is Autism Spectrum Disorder.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/facts.html.