Vaccination represents a method of making the body resistant to disease. Vaccines are available for both children and adults. Vaccines function by naturally increasing the body’s system reaction. It is a significant way to avoid life-threatening infections from viruses and bacteria.
Vaccines will be able to adapt and cope quickly with our bodies’ systems. Vaccination campaigns around the world have aided in the improvement of public health, by reducing the spread of disease, reducing impairment, and reducing the number of child deaths among other things. Despite the fact that scientific vaccinations have been shown to be reliable and safe to use, several misconceptions persist. Several myths have been propagated, holding vaccines in the controversy.
Therefore, the following article will clarify certain vaccine facts and misconceptions. Here are the top six truths of vaccine:
- MYTH: Vaccines cause autism and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
FACT: Vaccines are generally considered to be extremely secure. The majority of vaccine reactions are mild and temporary, such as a fever or arm pain. After an individual has been injected with the vaccine, critical side effects are uncommon. If you have polio, for example, you can experience paralysis complications. If you get measles, you could develop encephalitis (inflammation of the brain lining) and go visually impaired. Furthermore, some preventable diseases by vaccination usually result in death. Vaccination’s benefits far outweigh the risks. Up until now, no conclusive evidence has been found that links vaccine administration to autism or SIDS.
- MYTH: Being “natural” is preferable. Vaccines and other foreign drugs should not be injected into our bodies.
FACT: Being “natural” is not necessarily preferable. There are several items in nature that should not be consumed, such as some specific plants and berries which contain some of the most potent poisons. Vaccines are manufactured using natural ingredients. Some vaccines are produced from live germs that have been altered so that they can no longer cause disease.
2. MYTH: Vaccines are lucrative for doctors.
FACT: Vaccination is a labour-intensive business that does not gain profits. Financial benefits are provided to certain doctors, but they promote high-quality practices and help physicians justify the manpower required to prescribe and keep track of all the patients.
3. MYTH: Toxins in vaccines are toxic.
FACT: Formaldehyde, mercury, and aluminium are all present in trace quantities in vaccines. However, despite their frightening names, these additives actually make vaccines safer. “They make sure the vaccine is sterile or capable of fulfilling its purpose,” Boyer explains. “They are just toxic in far higher doses than the trace amounts needed for vaccines.” In fact, the body’s metabolic system produces formaldehyde at a higher rate. Thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative, appears to be causing the most anxiety among parents. However, any fears about Thimerosal today are unfounded since it was excluded from all childhood vaccines in 1999.
4. MYTH: I do not need to be vaccinated if anyone around me is immune.
FACT: Getting vaccinated is similar to wearing a mask, it protects not only you but also your community. Person-to-person communication is how most vaccine-preventable diseases propagate. When one person in a group contracts the disease, it is extremely easy for it to spread to others. The more people are immunised, the less likely a disease could spread.
5. MYTH: Since I am breastfeeding, my baby is immune to infections.
FACT: Breastfeeding is not a vaccine replacement. Breastfeeding will help protect your baby from such diseases, such as viral respiratory infections, ear infections, and diarrhoea. However, this defence is insufficient, only lasts for a short time, and can be overcome if your baby is exposed to significant quantities of a particular germ.
Written by:
Alizha Rochana Putri
Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Padjadjaran
AMSA Indonesia