7 Myths of Vaccination Blockers

JAKARTA – There are several myths about vaccines and immunizations that are milling about in society. Many myths make people reluctant to undergo vaccination. The World Health Organization (WHO) also agrees that one in ten global health threats is people’s doubts about vaccines.

In line with this, Windhi Kresnawati, a pediatrician from the Care Parents Foundation, said that the circulation of a myth has been an obstacle to the vaccination program for a long time. He expressed this in a Webinar of the Committee for Handling COVID-19 and National Economic Recovery (KPCPEN), Monday (12/10/2020) which raised a Fact Check on Vaccine Myths.

Whatever myths need to be corrected, here is Windhi’s explanation.

1. Myth Infectious diseases can be avoided with a healthy lifestyle alone.

Windhi did not deny that a healthy lifestyle is a good habit. But he warned, this method is not effective enough to prevent infection with certain diseases. The facts about this assumption can be seen in the United States. When the measles vaccine was discovered in the US in 1963, the disease gradually disappeared. Even in 1974, the US government declared that they were measles-free. What needs to be underlined is that the pattern and lifestyle of US citizens from 1963 to 1974 has not changed. This means that the biggest role in the loss of measles in the US is immunization or vaccination. Not just a healthy lifestyle.

This condition began to change when in the US, sects or community groups began to doubt the MMR vaccine (measles, mumps, rubella). This was followed by a growing number of people doubting the role of the measles vaccine. “As a result, in 2018 the United States experienced another measles epidemic. This is because many immigrants from other countries did not vaccinate and had high vaccination refuses,” said Windhi.

2. Myth that children who are immunized are still sick.

Windhi explained that even if they experience illness, the severity experienced by immunization patients is very light. Children who are immunized, if sick, will avoid disability and death.

“And don’t forget, if you are not immunized and you are not sick, be grateful to the person who was immunized. Because that is herd immunity. When we are among healthy people, we do not catch the disease,” said Windhi.

3. The myth that vaccines contain dangerous substances.

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