Rumor 1: Improving personal and environmental hygiene will keep you away from diseases, and there is no need for vaccination. False.
Fact 1: Diseases prevented by vaccination will return if the immunization program is discontinued. Although improving personal hygiene, washing hands regularly and using clean drinking water can protect people from infectious diseases, many infectious diseases can still spread no matter how clean the environment is. Without immunization, some diseases that are no longer common, such as polio and measles, can quickly re-emerge.
Rumor 2: Vaccines have a number of harmful long-term side effects that are not well known. Vaccinations can even kill people. False.
Fact 2: Vaccines are very safe. Most reactions to vaccines, such as sore arms or mild fever, are usually mild and temporary. The occurrence of very serious health events is extremely rare and is carefully monitored and investigated. The chances of serious harm from vaccine-preventable diseases are much greater than the chances of harm from vaccines. For example, polio can cause paralysis, measles can cause encephalitis and blindness, and some vaccine-preventable diseases can even cause death. Not only does a vaccine hardly ever cause any serious injury or death, the benefits it provides far outweigh its risks. Without vaccines, more and more injuries and deaths would occur.
Rumor 3: The combination vaccine against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis and the vaccine against polio cause sudden neonatal death syndrome. False.
Fact 3: There is no causal link between the use of vaccines and sudden neonatal death, but the use of these vaccines occurs at a time when infants may develop sudden neonatal death syndrome (SIDS). In other words, sudden neonatal death syndrome death and vaccination are concurrently incidental, even if the vaccine is not administered. It is crucial not to forget that all four diseases are fatal and that infants are at great risk of death or severe disability if they are not vaccinated for prevention.
Rumor 4: Vaccine-preventable diseases have been virtually eliminated in my country, so vaccination is no longer necessary. False.
Fact 4: Although vaccine-preventable diseases are no longer common in many countries, the infectious agents that cause these diseases are still circulating in some parts of the world. In today’s extremely interconnected world, these pathogens can cross geographic boundaries and infect unprotected populations. In Western Europe, for example, measles outbreaks have occurred in unvaccinated populations in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom since 2005. Therefore, the two main reasons for choosing vaccination are to protect ourselves and to protect those around us. A successful vaccination program is like a successful society, relying on the cooperation of each individual to achieve the well-being of all. We should not rely on those around us to stop the spread of disease; we should do our own personal part.
Myth #5: Vaccine-preventable childhood illnesses are just the inevitable downsides of life. False.
Fact 5: Vaccine-preventable diseases are not “unavoidable”. Diseases such as measles, mumps and rubella are serious and can lead to serious complications in children and adults, including pneumonia, encephalitis, blindness, diarrhea, ear infections, congenital rubella syndrome (rubella in pregnant women early in pregnancy) and death. All of these diseases and the suffering they cause can be avoided by vaccination. Failure to vaccinate against these diseases leaves children vulnerable to them, and such victimization is unnecessary.
Myth 6: Giving children more than one vaccine at a time increases the risk of harmful side effects and overloads the child’s immune system. False.
Fact 6: Scientific evidence shows that administering several vaccines at once does not cause adverse reactions in children’s immune systems. Children are exposed to hundreds of foreign substances every day, all of which can induce an immune response. It is the simple act of eating that can bring new antigens into the body, and there are countless bacteria living in the human mouth and nasal passages alone. The number of antigens a child is exposed to as a result of a common cold or sore throat far exceeds the exposure from the vaccination route. A major benefit of getting several vaccines at once is that there are fewer trips to the hospital, thus saving time and money, and more likely than not, the child is following the recommended vaccine schedule. In addition, if a combination vaccination such as the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine is possible, the number of injections can be reduced.
Rumor 7: The flu is just a nuisance, and the vaccine may not be very effective. Wrong.
Fact 7: Influenza is not just a nuisance. It is a serious disease that kills 300,000 to 500,000 people worldwide each year. Pregnant women, young children, the elderly in poor health, and people with chronic conditions such as asthma or heart disease are at higher risk of serious infection and the threat of death. Another benefit of vaccinating pregnant women is that it provides protection for newborns (there is currently no vaccine for infants under 6 months of age). The vaccine provides immunity to the three influenza viruses that are prevalent and most prevalent in any season. It is the best way to help people reduce their chances of getting and passing on a serious cold. Avoiding the flu means saving on additional medical costs and avoiding lost income from taking sick days.
Rumor #8: It’s better to get immunity through the disease than through the vaccine. False.
Fact 8: Vaccines interact with the immune system to produce an immune response similar to that produced through natural infections, but vaccines do not cause disease and do not expose vaccinees to potential complications. In contrast, immunity through natural infections can be costly; for example, Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) infection can cause mental retardation, rubella can cause birth defects, hepatitis B virus can cause liver cancer, and measles can cause death.
Rumor 9: Vaccines contain mercury and are very dangerous. False.
Fact 9: Thimerosal is an organic compound containing mercury that is added to some vaccines as a preservative. Thimerosal is one of the most widely used preservatives in multi-dose vials of vaccines. There is no evidence that the amount of thimerosal in vaccines poses a health risk.
Rumor 10: Vaccines can cause autism. False.
Fact 10: A 1998 study that raised concerns about a possible link between the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine and autism was later proven to be seriously flawed, and the journal that published the study paper implemented a retraction of the paper. Unfortunately, the publication of the paper triggered a panic that led to a decline in vaccination rates and a subsequent outbreak. There is no evidence of an association between the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine and autism.