The World Health Organization (WHO) defines vaccination as a simple, safe and effective way to protect the population against harmful diseases before coming into contact with them. Vaccines activate the body’s natural defenses so that it learns to resist specific infections and strengthens the immune system.
After receiving a vaccine, the immune system produces antibodies in the same way as when exposed to a disease, with the difference that vaccines contain only dead or weakened microbes (such as viruses or bacteria) and do not cause any pathology or complications.
Its function is to prevent infectious diseases or make them milder. According to data provided by the WHO, between 2 and 3 million deaths are avoided each year thanks to vaccines.
However, false beliefs still persist about these biological products whose function is to prevent infectious diseases on an individual and collective level.
Common myths
In an article published by the Hospital Clínic Barcelona, Spain, Dr. Anna Vilella, head of the Preventive Medicine and Epidemiology Service, states that “the scientific evidence on the knowledge and effects that vaccines have on the body is very extensive, Therefore, some myths related to its effects have been debunked.”
• The diseases that are prevented are already almost eliminated, so vaccines are not necessary.
According to the professional, although some of the pathogens for which vaccines are vaccinated are very rare, they continue to exist around the world. “This means that they can infect any unprotected person and infect more unprotected individuals or individuals with a weakened immune system,” she says.
For Dr. Vilella, “if the majority of individuals are vaccinated, the majority of the population is immunized against that pathogen and this creates herd immunity. In this way, the spread of the disease is prevented.”
• The immunity produced by the “natural” disease is better than that of vaccines.
The expert says in the publication that the immune response of vaccines is similar to that produced by a natural infection. The advantages of vaccination are that, although the immunity generated is similar, the disease is avoided.
• Outbreaks and epidemics also affect vaccinated people.
The epidemiologist indicates that “in this case, the statement does not correspond to reality. Vaccines are not infallible preventive treatments, so it is normal that some people, despite being vaccinated, end up becoming infected.”
However, he highlights that thanks to group immunity, the infection does not spread among the population. “If you analyze the data, the proportion of vaccinated people who become infected is lower than those who are not vaccinated,” he adds.
• Vaccinating during the first year of life is counterproductive because the immune system is immature.
Dr. Vilella asserts that delaying vaccination, especially in the first years of life, leaves the child population in a state of vulnerability, since it is during this period when most infections occur and where there is a greater risk of complicating the infection and causing death.
• Vaccines contain toxic products such as aluminum and mercury.
According to the doctor, current vaccines do not contain products that are toxic to health. “The mercury that is part of vaccines is ethylmercury, which has no negative consequences on health,” she declares.
Thiomersal, which is another form of mercury previously used in vaccines, is currently not used. The form of mercury that poses a health risk is methylmercury, a component that is not part of vaccines.
On the other hand, there is no scientific evidence on aluminum poisoning related to vaccination. There are other natural sources of aluminum that are much more frequent and common, such as some foods or tobacco.
• Vaccines cause diseases such as autism spectrum disorder, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, inflammatory bowel disease, and sudden infant death.
“No associations have been demonstrated between vaccines and the development of these diseases. Most of the time these are coincidental relationships, but it is not a consequence,” says Dr. Vilella.
“Specifically, it has been shown that there is no relationship between vaccination and autism spectrum disorder. The study that suggested it in 1998 was shown to be a fraud and was retracted,” he points out.
Source: WHO and Hospital Clínic Barcelona.
2023-10-06 13:47:46
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