{"id":2418,"date":"2019-05-28T10:26:58","date_gmt":"2019-05-28T10:26:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mumblog.co.uk\/?p=2418"},"modified":"2023-09-18T17:03:23","modified_gmt":"2023-09-18T17:03:23","slug":"7-myths-about-vaccinations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mumblog.co.uk\/7-myths-about-vaccinations\/","title":{"rendered":"7 Myths About Vaccinations"},"content":{"rendered":"
Earlier this year, research by Unicef<\/a> revealed that just over half a million children in the UK remained unvaccinated against MMR (Measles, Mumps, and Rubella), giving the UK the rank of third worst high income country for vaccination rates. The rates of children who have received the vaccination have fallen for four years in a row, and it\u2019s thought to have been fuelled by conspiracy theories and fear mongering spread by social media sites, along with a handful of vocal celebrities.<\/p>\n The trend has alarmed experts who point out that in order to maintain \u201cherd immunity\u201d, a rate of 95% of children receiving the vaccination is required. It has led to the current health secretary, Matt Hancock, to state that he will not rule out \u201ccompulsory vaccination\u201d and that he is willing to consider all options to ensure that children are kept safe.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Herd immunity is a fairly simple concept. Basically, the more people who are immune to a disease, such as measles, the less people there are who are able to spread the disease around. This means that those who are not immune to the disease are less like to catch it.<\/p>\n It\u2019s important because in a country where vaccinations are readily available, those who do not have immunity are typically more vulnerable to complications from the disease. Someone who is suffering from an immune-suppressing disease, such as cancer, may have lost their protection from their childhood vaccinations and are therefore depending on herd immunity to keep them safe. If an immune-suppressed person catches a disease, such as measles, the chances of it having fatal consequences are considerably higher than that of a healthy person.<\/p>\n Some children have allergies that mean they are unable to receive vaccinations. They are also reliant on herd immunity, and many childhood diseases can have severe or fatal consequences in some patients.<\/p>\n If more and more parents choose not to vaccinate their healthy children, then that means that there are more people who are able to transmit these diseases, increasing the risk for vulnerable people. By choosing not to vaccinate, some parents are willingly risking the lives of others around them.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Social media can be a fantastic resource, but sadly, it has some darker elements, and the anti-vaccination campaign is one area where social media has been a negative force.<\/p>\n Articles are regularly shared across social media decrying the use of vaccinations. They are often written by someone purporting to be a \u201chealth professional\u201d, although dig a little deeper and you will often find that their qualification is a course in homeopathy at an online university with a questionable reputation. Furthermore, groups crop up on sites like Facebook that contain thousands of parents who have some concerns about vaccinations and in these groups a plethora of mis-information and poorly interpreted science is shared, creating scare-stories and an increase in anti-vaccination sentiment.<\/p>\n As a result, a number of myths concerning the safety of vaccinations have been spread around social media. Some have no basis in reality at all, whilst others are based on a small element of risk that is vastly outweighed by the risk of catching the disease itself.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n This myth dates back to 1997, when Andrew Wakefield published a now widely debunked study that linked the MMR vaccination to autism. The study resulted in a dramatic drop in the number of parents who took up the vaccine for their children, and the idea that vaccines cause autism can still be found in social media forums today, over twenty years later.<\/p>\n In the years that followed Wakefied\u2019s publication, further studies were unable to recreate his findings. It was later discovered that Wakefield was set to benefit financially from the scare, by launching a new venture that would offer autism testing with a view to supporting parents to pursue litigation. Further investigation into the way Wakefield conducted his research led to the paper being retracted from the journal in which it was published and Wakefield was struck off the UK medical registrar. In a tribunal by the General Medical Council in 2010, Wakefield was charged with abusing developmentally delayed children via his research.<\/p>\n Since the now debunked report was published, there have been numerous further studies into the issue, and none have found a link between the MMR vaccine and autism. In fact, earlier this year, findings of a Danish study that took over a decade to complete and studied more than 650,000 babies found that there was no increased risk of autism after the MMR vaccine, even in children who were already at risk of the disease due to having an older sibling with an autism diagnosis. Crucially, the report found that the rates of autism remained the same between children who were vaccinated and children who were not.<\/p>\n Unfortunately, autism symptoms tend to present around the same time that the MMR vaccine is administered at aged 12 months, as this is when developmental delays become more apparent. It\u2019s therefore understandable that parents may have concerns, but as the science shows, there simply is no link between vaccines and autism.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Thiomersal is a compound of mercury that was once used as a preservative in vaccinations. It has antiseptic properties and prevented the growth of bacteria in vaccinations. Although there is no evidence that the use of thiomersal in vaccinations can have adverse affects, the use of the preservative in vaccinations in the UK ceased around twenty years ago. Today\u2019s vaccines do not contain thiomersal.<\/p>\n Formaldehyde is a naturally occurring gas that is used to create resins that are used around the world to create various products, including plywood, insulation materials, carpets, cosmetics, and engine components. It can also be dissolved and used a disinfectant. In the UK, formaldehyde is used in the manufacturing process of vaccinations to remove toxins from bacteria that are then used to create a vaccine. Although this chemical can be harmful in large doses, there are trace amounts left in a vaccine and, in fact, the chemical is produced naturally in your own bloodstream in much greater quantities.<\/p>\n Aluminium is present in vaccines in trace amounts in the form of aluminium hydroxide. It is used as an adjuvant, which is a substance that enhances the body\u2019s immune response to the vaccine, meaning that less doses of the vaccines are necessary to make it effective. Like many substances, including even water, aluminium can be toxic if you ingest enough of it. However, the amount present in a vaccination is so small, it is not significant, and there is no evidence to suggest that the amount of aluminium in a vaccine is harmful. In fact, aluminium is such a common element on the earth that is almost everywhere, including in the air we breathe and the food we eat. By the time your baby is six months old, he or she would have inhaled more aluminium, and ingested more aluminium through breast or formula milk than they would have received from vaccinations.<\/p>\nWhat Is Herd Immunity & Why Is It Important?<\/h2>\n
Vaccine Scare Stories \u2013 Common Myths Found On Social Media<\/h2>\n
1. Vaccines Cause Autism<\/h3>\n
2. Vaccines Contain Dangerous Chemicals Such as Mercury, Formaldehyde, and Aluminium. We Have No Way Of Knowing What The Full List Of Vaccine Ingredients Includes<\/h3>\n