Facts about vaccines like tetanus, mumps and whooping cough

Information on the return of preventable diseases is spreading almost as fast as the epidemics themselves, often linked to unvaccinated communities.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed 228 individual cases of measles in 12 states from 1 January to 7 March. In 2016, there were 86 such cases nationwide for the entire year. In 2000, the disease was declared eliminated in the United States.

Mumps and whooping cough – whooping cough – have also increased in recent years, the CDC said.

The recently revealed story of an Oregon boy who contracted tetanus after being slashed his head on a farm aroused keen interest, not only because the child unvaccinated had suffered a terrible ordeal that had cost more than $ 800,000 in treatment, but also because his parents had refused follow-up. the injection that would have kept him safe.

Last week Ethan Lindenberger, a high school student from Ohio, who challenged his mother's objections and was vaccinated at the age of 18, told a Senate committee that it was essential to fight false statements about vaccination on social networks.

The spread of misinformation about vaccines has become a problem such as Facebook and other social media sites are committed to changing their policies to counter the hoaxes.

"There are a lot of conspiracy theorists who are persuading people that it's not going to work, that they're going to hurt their kids or that the disease does not matter," said Yvonne Maldonado. , Head of Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at Stanford University. "It's easier to broadcast this information now than it was before social media."

Here are some common myths about vaccines and the facts that refute them:

Myth 1: Vaccines are linked to autism

This is probably the most widespread and pernicious myth, stemming mainly from a research paper published in 1998 by former British physician Andrew Wakefield and 12 of his colleagues, most of which are subsequently retracted.

The paper claimed that there was a link between the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine and autism, a notion recently refuted once again by a large-scale study of more than 650,000 children in Denmark published this month.

"Scientists in the United States and other countries have carefully studied the MMR vaccine," says the CDC website. "None found any connection between autism and MMR's stroke."

Myth 2: Vaccines are toxic

The three chemicals that have raised vaccine concerns are mercury, aluminum and formaldehyde.

The CDC says that the amount of potentially toxic ingredients in the vaccines is minimal, pointing out that breast milk contains mercury, but not enough to be harmful, and that the same goes for vaccines.

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"The vaccine components are all there for a reason," says the CDC. "Some (like aluminum) help the vaccine work better. Others (such as formaldehyde) were used during manufacturing and were removed with the exception of a very small trace. "

Myth 3: These diseases have been eliminated

Maldonado believes that vaccines have become, in some ways, the victims of their own success because many people mistakenly believe that diseases such as measles, mumps, tetanus, diphtheria and polio no longer exist.

When she was a medical practitioner a few years ago, Maldonado said every week that she would see children with serious or life-threatening illnesses, and that she yearned for vaccinations to prevent them.

"And now, we have these vaccines, so families and providers do not see these diseases," she said. "They do not see these infections that kill children or leave them with neurological or other complications for the rest of their lives. They ask themselves: why should I give my child an injection for something that does not exist anymore? "& # 39;

With less vaccination, these diseases have a better chance of recurrence.

Myth 4: Vaccines have serious side effects

Some side effects are possible, especially the most common: mild fever, pain and swelling in the injected area. But research has shown that vaccines are extremely safe. The FDA rigorously tests them, monitors them, and forces the manufacturers of new vaccines to demonstrate that they will not neutralize those who are part of the regular program.

In the rare cases where the recipient of a vaccine develops an allergic reaction, the symptoms can be treated with a visit to the family doctor.

Myth 5: The flu vaccine will give you the flu

This common misperception is probably due to the fact that the vaccine is usually given at a time when the cold is proliferating. It is therefore easy to catch one and quickly conclude that it is the result of the flu vaccine, which takes two weeks to produce its effects.

But the viruses in the influenza vaccine are dead and can not cause disease.

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Influenza vaccine effectiveness varies from season to season, and the CDC estimated that it prevented infection at a rate of only 47% this season, but reached 61% for children under 17 years old. Nevertheless, being vaccinated against influenza helps reduce the risk of hospitalization for those infected.

Last year, 80% of children who died of the flu were not vaccinated.

Myth 6: Vaccines are not so effective

It is true that no vaccine is completely foolproof, but some are 99% effective. Vaccines are the main reason why smallpox has been eradicated from the United States and other communicable diseases have become rare.

Beyond this, people who can not be vaccinated for medical reasons benefit from what is known as collective immunity, which means that if the vast majority of the population around them is immune, their chances of contracting the infection diminish considerably.

The CDC says that for most contagious diseases, vaccination rates must be between 80 and 95% for the entire "flock" to be protected.

Myth 7: The best Internet guide

There is clearly a wealth of valuable information online that could inform those who make decisions about the benefits and harms of vaccines. But Maldonado warns that the web is also riddled with misinformation, citing a 2018 study showing Russian robots and trolls have sought to spark discord over vaccines on Twitter.

She also notes the echo-chamber effect created by those seeking opinions consistent with theirs.

"Facts and science no longer change people's minds," Maldonado said. "People have emotional or psychological reasons for the decisions they make, and the facts they look at generally tend to support their point of view, whatever they are."

Maldonado said the best way to answer questions or concerns about vaccines is to have an individual interaction with a health care provider, often a pediatrician.

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