Top 10 myths about childhood vaccines

According to the CDC, vaccinations save between two to three million lives each year. That includes almost one million vaccinated children.

Despite that astounding statistic, about 20% of parents are vaccine hesitant. This means that they are either reluctant to get their children vaccinated or refuse to do so.

The effects of vaccine refusal are all too well known. As recently as 2019, we saw a measles outbreak that affected over a 1,200 children. This outbreak could have been avoided with proper preventative care.

Unfortunately, there are many myths about vaccines that encourage or frighten parents into not vaccinating their children. As a result, infections can easily spread among the unvaccinated. And while COVID-19 continues to dominate the news cycle, it’s important to keep your children up to date on vaccines that protect against other serious illnesses, too.

I want to take a few minutes to share some of the most commons myths about childhood vaccines and talk about the facts.

Fact: Vaccinations are safe and effective.

They’ve been put through large-scale clinical trials and tested for safety by scientists, doctors and other health care professionals. Although no vaccine is 100% safe, I encourage parents to think about the risk of the disease against the risk of the vaccine.

Think about measles as a good example. One in 30 children who catch measles will get pneumonia. For every 1,000 children with measles-related pneumonia, one or two will die. But because of the measles vaccine, few children today get the measles to begin with.  The association of vaccines (measles) with autism has been disproven.

Fact: Vaccinations are safe and effective.

They’ve been put through large-scale clinical trials and tested for safety by scientists, doctors and other health care professionals. Although no vaccine is 100% safe, I encourage parents to think about the risk of the disease against the risk of the vaccine.

Think about measles as a good example. One in 30 children who catch measles will get pneumonia. For every 1,000 children with measles-related pneumonia, one or two will die. But because of the measles vaccine, few children today get the measles to begin with.  The association of vaccines (measles) with autism has been disproven.

Fact: While the immunization schedule recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) can seem like a lot, it’s perfectly safe for your child and their immune system.

Fact: Vaccines use a person’s natural defense to disease to stimulate the immune system. That means that if someone is exposed to that specific disease in the future, their immune system can “remember it” and fight it, stop the disease from developing, or reduce the severity of disease.

When it comes to natural cures, there is no scientific basis to support their use in preventing these preventable infections

Fact: The infectious diseases that vaccines target can be serious and even fatal.

This myth is a tough one, since it’s partially the fault of vaccines working so well in the first place. Since the use of vaccines became widespread, epidemics, outbreaks and the number of cases of contagious diseases has been reduced. Sure, it may seem like infectious diseases aren’t that serious– but polio, which has been largely eradicated through vaccines, caused paralysis. Diphtheria made it almost impossible to breathe. Measles can cause brain damage. All of these have become extremely rare in the U.S. thanks to vaccinations. But unvaccinated children can still spread these diseases, and they can make a comeback.

Fact: Most vaccines are inactivated or prepared from only part of the pathogen. This means the components of the vaccine are not living and therefore do not cause disease.

Fact: All vaccines marketed in the United States are assessed by the FDA to ensure they meet strict safety guidelines prior to being registered for use. This includes testing for all vaccine components.

Fact: Studies show that having a mild illness doesn’t affect a child’s ability to react appropriately to the vaccine.

Fact: This is because of the vaccine, not in spite of it.

Before the vaccine was introduced, many children were hospitalized each year with serious complications, including pneumonia and dangerous skin infections. And children who don’t get chicken pox or the vaccine are at risk of getting it as an adult, which is a much more serious illness.

Fact: Not quite. The best vaccines are those made with live weakened virus, such as MMR and chicken pox, which are about 95% effective.

The effectiveness of vaccines made with inactivated virus is between 75 and 80%. That means there’s a chance you could still get a disease after being vaccinated for it. But, if all children are vaccinated against an organism, it’s less likely to hang around. That’s why vaccinating an entire population is so important.

Fact: Immunization schedules are designed to protect the most vulnerable patients from disease.

If you wait to give the vaccine, you may miss the window when a child is most vulnerable. Delays in immunization give rise to outbreaks of disease with serious consequences.