Vaccinations have been the subject of countless conspiracy theories. Find out where they come from—and whether or not they have any grounding in science.
Anti-vax myths have been around for centuries—at least since British doctor Edward Jenner developed the smallpox vaccine in the 1790s. And they persist even into our so-called scientific era: Following a 30 percent rise in worldwide measles outbreaks, in 2019 the World Health Organization named the anti-vaccine movement among the worst health threats facing humanity.
Where the myth comes from: One of the most prominent claims of anti-vaxxers is that vaccines are linked to autism: A child on the autistic spectrum can be diagnosed as young as 12 to 18 months—around the same time the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine is administered—leading some parents to assume a causal relationship. Most prominently, British gastroenterologist Andrew Wakefield published a shocking study in The Lancet in 1998 linking the MMR vaccine to autism and bowel disease.
2. Vaccines don't really work. Outside of individual infection numbers, herd immunity is constantly working to prevent outbreaks in the first place. Joe Raedle/Getty Images Where the myth comes from: In addition to a version of the virus its fighting against, a vaccine usually contains preservatives and other chemicals that keep it stable. Thiomersal, a preservative historically used in tetanus and diptheria vaccines, contains trace amounts of mercury. And adjuvants, which help the immune system respond to a vaccine, often have aluminium in them. This has led vaccine sceptics to claim vaccines are filled with toxic substances.
The facts: Only a tiny fraction of a baby's immune system is activated by vaccines."Children are exposed to more antigens from a common cold than they are from vaccines," says WHO's Flavia Bustreo. “Giving several vaccines at the same time has no negative effect on a child’s immune system. It reduces discomfort for the child, and saves time and money."
In February 2019, White House communications chief Bill Shine's wife, Darla, tweeted: “I had the #Measles #Mumps #ChickenPox as a child and so did every kid I knew - Sadly my kids had #MMR so they will never have the life long natural immunity I have.” Where the myth comes from: In 2017, a former naturopathic doctor told The Atlantic she met a naturopath who suggested elderberry syrup could substitute for the flu vaccine.
The facts: Polio cases in the U.S. reached a peak in the early 1950s, well after good sanitation and nutrition had become standard—rich and poor children like contracted the illness, which only disappeared in 1979, a generation after the first polio vaccine strategy was intrudced in 1955. And even the healthiest diet won't protect you from tetanus or measles.
Of the top 15 American pharmaceutical money-makers of 2017, Prevnar was the only vaccine to make the list, at 12th place. Drugs treating chronic illnesses are far more lucrative. If anything vaccines are actually underutilized: A 2018 report from the Access to Medicine Foundation criticised Big Pharma for neglecting to develop an infants’ vaccine for cholera.
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