Vaccinations: Myth Busting

With the COVID vaccine rollout starting, the minority of people that refuse vaccinations become a bigger risk to the rest of the population than ever before.

Australia’s goal of 95% of children vaccinated at the appropriate age for each is still a work-in-progress but was reached for the 5- and 1-year olds for the first time this year!

The Aussie rumour mill says we won’t be able to travel without the vaccine, so we want to highlight the importance of nation-wide vaccination by debunking some myths that are floating around.

Myth 1: Vaccines cause autism

This is one of the most well-known vaccination myths, but it is baseless. While a fraudulent study by Andrew Wakefield in 1998 found a potential link between autism and vaccination, every subsequent study has shown that link to be unfounded.

In fact, studies amounting to sample sizes of over 1 million children have found that vaccines have no effect whatsoever on our likeliness to develop autism. Wakefield later retracted his claims, the paper was removed, and he temporarily lost his registration. Nevertheless, this damaging myth lives on.

There is no link between any vaccination and autism or any other developmental disease.

Myth 2: Healthy lifestyle is more effective than vaccination

A nutritious, active and generally healthy lifestyle is extremely important for protecting against many diseases, but there are also many more that can appear in even the healthiest of bodies.

Vaccination is the best way to ensure that you do not get that specific disease. The reason for multiple vaccines being necessary is the multiple life-threatening diseases that exist.

Disease does not discriminate; a healthy lifestyle is not stronger than a vaccine.

Myth 3: Vaccines make you sick

Depending on how a vaccine is produced, it may contain fragments of a virus (flu vaccine), a weakened virus (Chickenpox vaccine) or, as with COVID-19, a vector carrying genetic material from a virus. Additional ingredients may include some necessary immune system boosters and some preservatives.

While a vaccine can produce either expected or unexpected reactions, they tend to be very mild in comparison to the full disease. Make sure you discuss any questions with your doctor before receiving any particular vaccines.

Some adverse reactions show us that the vaccine is working, but a lack of any symptoms does not mean it isn’t! Most people will notice no reaction whatsoever - except maybe a slightly sore arm.

Vaccinations do not make you sick, but they can produce minor reactions.

Myth 4: My choice doesn’t affect anyone else

This statement can be seen as analogous to driving or drinking.

While some people feel that they are great drivers, we are only as strong as our weakest link. One perfect driver can still be involved in a car accident if someone else is not following the rules of the road.

It is the reason we stick to speed limits, give way to pedestrians on zebra crossings, stop at red lights and face penalties if we don’t.

It is an absolute certainty that vaccinations work only when (almost) everyone has them. Contagious diseases’ ability to quickly spread and multiply is the reason that even a small group of people skipping their vaccinations can be disastrous.

Herd immunity is what we call a populations ability to resist a disease and it is usually achieved by vaccinating the majority of the population. Without herd immunity, babies, the elderly and those who cannot receive a vaccine are more likely to get these diseases.

Each disease has a different critical immunity threshold, ranging from as low as 30/40% up to 95%. The critical immunity threshold is the percentage of the population that must be vaccinated to effectively remove the disease.

Choosing not to vaccinate your family decreases your community's chance of reaching the critical immunity threshold.

Vaccination vs. debilitating illness

In the past, events such as Wakefield’s study have caused large percentages of the population to avoid vaccination. Often, these are followed by an outbreak of the disease that the vaccine prevents.

While there is a very small chance of vaccinations producing rare side effects such as seizure or anaphylaxis, skipping them puts you at risk of sickness, death and mental and physical disablement.

The reason vaccinations were created is the horrific effects of the diseases they avoid, and the chance of developing those if we don’t all vaccinate is far greater than the chance of a vaccine harming you.

I for one am thankful that I do not have to treat Polio or Smallpox in my practice because of successful and effective vaccination programs.

If you are worried about vaccinations, for COVID or anything else, have a chat with your doctor who will be happy to talk you through your family’s best options.

Felicity Thompson