Vaccines are the most effective way to prevent many infectious diseases. They work by boosting the body’s natural immune response to diseases caused by viruses and bacteria. Proper vaccination programs across the globe have led to massive reduction in deaths and diseases.
Despite the fact that vaccines have been proven to be both safe and effective based on sound scientific evidence, several misconceptions about vaccines have persisted for decades mostly because of the poor understanding of how vaccination works. Below, we will dive into some of the most common myths about vaccines and the truth behind them.
Myth: Vaccines contain many ingredients that are harmful to the body.
Fact: Vaccines contain ingredients that allow the product to be safely administered. Any substance can be harmful in significantly high doses, even water. Vaccines contain ingredients at a dose that is even lower than the dose we are naturally exposed to in our environment.
Myth: Vaccines tend to cause autism and sudden infant death syndrome.
Fact: Vaccines are considered very safe based on scientific research. Most adverse reactions commonly found from using vaccines are usually temporary and minor. It is a rare occurrence to experience a very serious health complication following a vaccination.
Myth: A child can actually get the disease from a vaccine.
Fact: It’s very unlikely for a vaccine to cause a disease. Most available vaccines are inactivated vaccines, which makes it impossible for you to contract the disease from the vaccine.
Myth: There is no need to vaccinate my child because all the other children around them are already immune.
Fact: Herd immunity is a scenario wherby a significant portion of a community is immunized against a contagious disease, thereby reducing the chance of an outbreak. People who benefit greatly from this type of protection include infants, pregnant women and immunocompromised people who cannot receive vaccines.
However, note that disease immunity is not static because diseases can re-enter communities, and individual children’s immunity can vary, which makes vaccination important for herd immunity.
Myth: Vaccine-preventable diseases are just part of childhood. It is better to have the disease than become immune through vaccines.
Fact: It’s worth noting that vaccine-preventable diseases have many serious complications which can be avoided through immunization. Vaccines help in the stimulation of the immune system to produce an immune response similar to natural infection. However, they do not cause the disease or put the immunized person at risk of its potential complications.
