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Common Vaccination Myths Debunked
Written By: Dan Hirschhorn
Myth #1- Vaccines are a cause of autism.
This false myth is widely circulated
throughout the world over many years,
and “is the cause of a major drop in
vaccination rates, which in turn caused
many virus outbreaks, some more deadly
than others. This myth is widely believed
because of the 1997 study by the
notorious 21 Andrew Wakefield was published
in The Lancet, a prestigious medical
journal, and this study suggested that
the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine
was the cause of autism” (Abraham para
4). This led widespread concern from parents
all over the world, causing many to
go unvaccinated. This study was retracted
from The Lancet years later after the
incredibility was disclosed 22 to the public,
and among those who voted in favor
of the retraction were 10 of the 12 who
worked on the case. The retraction came
after reputable 23 scientific evidence was
found after that disproved the information
within the study. With the events that
transpired, Andrew Wakefield had his
study removed, and his career ruined.
The many court cases that followed left
Wakefield unable to practice medicine
(legally) once his medical license was
revoked. The courts found him guilty of
committing fraud. We still may not know
what causes autism, but many large scientific
studies have disproved this myth.
Myth #2- Infant immune systems can’t
handle so many vaccines that are currently
being given as they transgress 24
safetly.
This myth is also false. A common concern,
and for good reason, is around infants
and whether or not they can handle
so many vaccines. We understand that
as parents it is your responsibility for
the wellbeing of your children. Although
many believe this fractious 25 myth to be
true, it is not, and infants immune systems
are stronger than many believe them to
be. “Through many tests, scientists have
found that, because of the large amount
of antibodies present within the blood
of an infant, they are able to respond to
10,000 vaccines at one given time (theoretically).
If 14 vaccines were given at
once, they would only use up about 0.1%
of the baby’s immune system” (Abraham
para 8). The amount of vaccines given
can never overwhelm a child’s immune
system because they are constantly replenishing
cells within the immune system,
and the system is very resilient 26 . Vaccinations,
although increased in the number
give, are far more effective at doing their
jobs than they once were. Vaccinations
are carefully crafted and tested by scientists
in order to create a final product
that does not negatively react with humans
and their immune system. The goal
of vaccinations has and always will be to
prevent the acquiration of harmful and
deadly diseases and viruses. This is no
different when it comes to infants. They
to come into contact with harmful bacte-
16 TIME May 31, 2017
Fig 17:Raptor, The Original Skeptical. “The End of the Vaccines Cause Autism Myth.” Skeptical Raptor. N.p., 17 Apr. 2016. Web. 29 May 2017.