Vaccine Fears and Facts

WHAT IS A VACCINE: 

• used to stimulate the immune system to create antibodies that will destroy the live organism
• introduces either a small part of a larger bacteria or virus that causes disease
• or a bacteria that is killed or modified so it can’t cause severe disease

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF VACCINES

Vaccines have reduced deaths and severe illness from (in no particular order)

• Influenza Polio
• Measles
• Mumps
• Diptheria
• Yellow fever
• Rubella
• Tetanus
• Chicken pox
• Whooping cough (pertussis)
• Hepatitis A
• Hepatitis B
• Pneumonia
• Small pox
• Dengue Fever
• Typhoid fever
• Pheumonia
• Meningitis
• Anthrax
• Cholera
• Rabies
• Japanese encephalitis
• Adenovirus (only  used among military personnel)
• And most recently
• Cervical cancer
• Latest CDC stats show rates of cervical cancer in the US falling

VACCINE FEARS VS FACTS

• Any medication can cause a severe allergic reaction. Such reactions to a vaccine are estimated at about 1 in a million doses, and would happen within a few minutes to a few hours after the vaccination.
  • Make sure your doctor or pharmacist knows your allergies
• Remember to think about the side effects vs the harm of the disease
• Like any medicine, a vaccine can cause side effects. Most side effects are minor and last for a day or two
  • sore arm
  • low-grade fever
  • achy muscles
  • stuffy nose
  • headache
  • diarrhea
  • abdominal pain
  • fatigue
• Vaccines have been studied extensively for a link to paralysis, chronic fatigue, autism.
  • There has been no credible findings of an association between vaccines and autism or catastrophic illness
  • One study finding a link that has been widely cited in the past was found to be completely made up!
• Preservatives in vaccines contain mercury and are harmful
  • Preservatives prevent microbial growth. A preservative is required and necessary in multi-dose vials of vaccines.
  • Thimerosal is a mercury based preservative present in some vaccine formulations.

• • All vaccines routinely recommended for children 6 years of age and younger in the U.S. are available in formulations that do not contain thimerosal.
  • Vaccines that do not contain thimerosal as a preservative are also available for adolescents and adults.
  • A robust body of peer-reviewed scientific studies conducted in the U.S. and other countries support the safety of thimerosal-containing vaccines.
  • The use of thimerosal as a preservative in vaccines has markedly declined due to reformulation and development of new vaccines in single-use presentations.
• Babies are given too many vaccines at one time. This can cause harm or ‘overdose’
  • Babies are exposed to tens of thousands of bacteria and viruses every day.
  • The immune system works by exposure. It revs up when exposed to bacteria or viruses.
  • A vaccine simply uses this system to expose the baby in a way that won’t result in severe illness or death
  • Modifying the schedule simply exposes the baby to the risk of disease longer without any real benefit.
• The diseases are already gone, there is no longer a need for vaccination
  • Vaccine preventable diseases are rare BECAUSE most of us are vaccinated.  When we see sizable outbreaks it is because the organisms spread among unvaccinated populations
    • Recently whooping cough and measles outbreaks at Disneyland have demonstrated this
• I or my child is healthy enough to survive getting sick
  • You may be wrong about that
  • You may be the source of infection for someone who is not
    • Babies who are hospitalized/die with whooping cough usually get it from an unvaccinated family member with mild disease
• The majority of people who get sick have been vaccinated
  • Vaccines are effective for the majority of people who get them (numbers vary with the vaccine)
  • Getting the illness after vaccination will result in a milder version in the majority of cases
  • No vaccine is 100% effective—some people just won’t respond and become immune but vaccination in most of us protects the rest of us (herd immunity) because the organism can’t infect enough people to spread

• Vaccines are continually monitored for safety, and like any medication
• The CDC maintains a list of all vaccines approved for use in the US with the common and uncommon side effects.
• It’s still flu season! Get your vaccine.

https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/index.html 

https://www.who.int/vaccine_safety/initiative/detection/immunization_misconceptions/en/

https://www.scientificamerican.com/custom-media/whats-behind-the-fear-of-vaccines/