It is a controversial parenting practice, in which parents do not agree despite scientific evidence. Therefore Health authorities never tire of warning of dangerous myths about vaccination, and more when in recent times different anti-vaccine currents gain strength in various fields.
The World Health Organization has just published a statement in which it returns to this idea: not vaccinating children is a danger and many lives are saved through immunization. Despite this, there are many myths or misconceptions about vaccines. Myths to be banished.
WHO analyzes ten myths that are false, contrasting their respective true and proven facts. Let's see what these false ideas and realities are, linking to our archives, well nourished in all these important issues.
Myth 1: The best conditions of hygiene and sanitation will make diseases disappear; Vaccines are not necessary. FALSE.
Fact 1: The diseases against which we can vaccinate would reappear if the vaccination programs were interrupted. While better hygiene, handwashing and drinking water help protect people against infectious diseases, many infections can spread regardless of the hygiene we maintain. If people were not vaccinated, some diseases that have become uncommon, such as polio and measles, would quickly reappear.
Myth 2: Vaccines carry some harmful and long-term side effects that are not yet known. Moreover, vaccination can be deadly. FALSE.
Fact 2: Vaccines are very safe. Most vaccine reactions are usually mild and temporary, for example, a sore arm or fever. Serious health disorders, which are extremely rare, are subject to monitoring and investigation. A serious disorder is more likely to be caused by a preventable disease by vaccination than by a vaccine. For example, in the case of polio, the disease can cause paralysis; Measles can cause encephalitis and blindness, and some diseases preventable by vaccination can even be fatal. Although a single case of serious disorder or death from vaccines is already too much, the benefits of vaccination far outweigh the risk, since without vaccines many disorders and deaths would occur.
Myth 3: The combined diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis vaccine, as well as the polio vaccine, can cause sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). FALSE.
Fact 3: There is no causal relationship between the administration of vaccines and sudden infant death, although these vaccines are administered in a period in which the newborn can suffer SIDS. In other words, deaths from SIDS are coincidentally coincidental with vaccination and would have occurred even if vaccines had not been administered. It is important to remember that these four diseases can be fatal, and that the newborn not vaccinated against them runs serious risks of death and serious disability.
Myth 4: Vaccine preventable diseases are almost eradicated in my country, therefore there is no reason to get vaccinated. FALSE.
Fact 4:: While vaccine-preventable diseases are currently rare in many countries, the infectious agents that cause them continue to circulate in some parts of the world. In a highly interconnected world, these agents can cross geographical boundaries and infect any unprotected person. For example, as of 2005, measles outbreaks occurred in western Europe in unvaccinated populations in Germany, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Spain, France, Italy, the United Kingdom and Switzerland. Therefore, there are two fundamental reasons to get vaccinated, namely to protect ourselves and protect those around us. Effective vaccination programs, as well as effective societies, depend on the cooperation of each person to ensure the common good. We should not depend on the people around us to stop the spread of disease; We also have to do our part.
Myth 5: Childhood diseases preventable by vaccination are inevitable in life. FALSE.
Fact 5: Vaccine preventable diseases do not have to be "something inevitable in life." Diseases such as measles, mumps and rubella are serious and can lead to significant complications in both children and adults, for example, pneumonia, encephalitis, blindness, diarrhea, ear infections, congenital rubella syndrome (if a woman contracts rubella at the beginning of pregnancy) and death. All these diseases and sufferings can be prevented by vaccines. Children not vaccinated against these diseases are unnecessarily vulnerable.
Myth 6: Simultaneous administration of more than one vaccine can increase the risk of harmful side effects in children, which in turn can overload their immune system. FALSE.
Fact 6: Scientific evidence reveals that Simultaneous administration of several vaccines does not have any side effects on the child's immune system. Children are exposed daily to hundreds of foreign substances that trigger an immune response. Simply eating food introduces new antigens into the body, and numerous bacteria live in the mouth and nose. A child is exposed to many more antigens as a result of a common cold or pharyngitis, than by vaccines. The main advantages of the simultaneous administration of several vaccines is that it requires fewer outpatient consultations, which saves time and money and increases the chances of children completing the recommended vaccination schedule. In addition, the possibility of receiving a combined vaccination, for example, against measles, mumps and rubella, means fewer injections.
Myth 7: The flu is just a nuisance and the vaccine is not very effective. FALSE.
Fact 7: The flu is much more than a nuisance. It is a serious disease that causes between 300,000 and 500,000 deaths worldwide each year. Pregnant women, young children, the elderly with health problems and anyone suffering from a chronic disorder, for example, asthma or heart disease, are at high risk of serious infection and death. Vaccination of pregnant women carries the additional benefit of protecting their newborns (there is currently no vaccine for children under six months). Most flu vaccines immunize against the three most prevalent strains circulating in a given season. It is the best way to reduce your chances of getting a serious flu and infect others. Avoiding the flu means avoiding additional health care expenses and loss of income for lost work or school days.
Myth 8: Immunization for the disease is better than for vaccines. FALSE.
Fact 8: Vaccines interact with the immune system to produce a response similar to what the natural infection would produce, but they do not cause the disease or expose the immunized person to risks of possible complications. On the other hand, the price of natural infection immunization could be mental retardation caused by Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib), congenital defects due to rubella, liver cancer derived from hepatitis B virus, or measles death.
Myth 9: Vaccines contain mercury, which is dangerous. FALSE.
Fact 9: Thiomersal is an organic compound with mercury that is added to some vaccines as a preservative. It is the most widely used preservative for vaccines that are supplied in multiple dose ampoules. There is no scientific evidence to suggest that the amount of thiomersal used in vaccines poses a health risk.
Myth 10: Vaccines cause autism. FALSE.
Fact 10: As could be determined, the 1998 study that raised concerns about a possible link between the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine, on the one hand, and autism, on the other, contained serious irregularities, so that the publication that disclosed it withdrew it. Unfortunately, its disclosure aroused fears that caused a decrease in immunization rates and subsequent outbreaks of these diseases. There is no scientific evidence of a relationship between that vaccine and autism or autistic disorders.
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In Babies and more | Why not vaccinating children puts everyone's health at risk, Six misconceptions about vaccines, Frequently asked questions about vaccines
