April 25, 2024 is the 38th National Child Immunization Day in mainland China, and the theme of this year's National Child Immunization Day is "Joint Action to Vaccinate and Escort the Whole Life Cycle".
Vaccination is the most economical and effective means of preventing and controlling infectious diseases, and it is of great significance to ensure the safety of people's lives and health. However, in recent years, various claims about children's vaccines have been circulating on the Internet, making it difficult for parents to distinguish between true and false. For example: "The side effects of the vaccine are very large, which will affect the development of children's IQ", "The second type of vaccine has little effect, and you need to pay for it, so there is no need to vaccinate your child", "The vaccine will destroy the child's immune system", ...... Are these statements accurate? Today we will answer them one by one.
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Myth 1
Myth: Receiving multiple vaccines at one time will overburden the child's immune system, so it is better to vaccinate less so as not to destroy the child's own immune system.
Analysis: False! It is more convenient to receive multiple vaccines or combination vaccines at the same time, and there will be no adverse effects on the child's immune system.
In daily life, children are exposed to the variety and quantity of microbial antigens far exceeding the amount of antigens during vaccination. Vaccination with multiple vaccines at one time or in combination not only does not increase the burden on the immune system, but sometimes stimulates and enhances the immune effect due to the synergistic effect of antigens. In addition, it can also reduce the frequency of visits to the hospital and save time. However, if you are really in doubt, you can consult your doctor first and follow your doctor's advice when you are ready to get vaccinated.
Myth 2
Myth content: The side effects of vaccines are very large, which will affect the development of children's IQ and even cause death.
Normally, vaccination is safe, and serious side effects are rare.
Vaccine-preventable diseases are far more likely to cause serious harm than vaccines are likely to cause harm. Serious side effects of the vaccine are rare, and even if there are adverse reactions, most of them are mild and temporary, such as sore arms, redness and swelling at the injection site, mild fever, loss of appetite, etc.
Myth 3
Myth content: The baby is allergic, so he can't get vaccinated.
"Allergies" are not contraindications to vaccination.
Vaccines usually have contraindications to vaccination, if there are corresponding contraindications at the time of vaccination, it is not suitable for vaccination, and if not, then most of them can be vaccinated.
It should be noted that there are also two contraindications, one is to postpone vaccination, and the other is to absolutely contraindicate vaccination. If the child is severely allergic to a known component of the vaccine, or has had laryngeal edema, anaphylactic shock or other anaphylaxis due to previous vaccination, it is contraindicated to continue receiving the same vaccine.
Some vaccines have special contraindications, such as the flu vaccine may contain trace amounts of chicken embryo protein, so people who are allergic to eggs cannot be vaccinated with the flu vaccine, and parents should consult a good doctor before taking their children to be vaccinated.
Myth 4
Myth: Vaccination against measles and mumps can cause autism in children.
There is no scientific evidence that the MMR vaccine causes autism, and the MMR vaccine is safe and effective in preventing diseases such as measles, mumps, and rubella.
"The MMR vaccine can cause autism" comes from a study abroad many years ago. In 1998, a British academic, driven by profit, published a paper in the top international medical journal The Lancet, claiming that the study proved that there may be a link between MMS vaccination and autism. But the study was later proven to be seriously wrong, and The Lancet retracted the paper.
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Myth 5
Myth: Combined vaccines against diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough and polio can cause sudden neonatal death syndrome, and parents must be cautious and it is best not to give these vaccines to their children.
According to current research, there is no causal link between the two.
It may be that there is an overlap between the timing of these vaccinations and the onset of SIDS, which is a misconception, but in fact this condition is medically called coincidentality, that is, sudden neonatal death syndrome deaths occur at the same time as vaccination, but the cause of sudden infant death is not caused by vaccination, and death can occur even if it is not vaccinated.
It is important to note that all four diseases are fatal and infants may be at great risk of death or severe disability if they are not vaccinated against them.
Myth 6
Myth content: The baby's own immunity is better and more reliable than the vaccine, so there is no need to rely too much on the vaccine.
The body's own immunity can indeed provide some immune protection, but this comes at a high price.
Because people need to be infected and cured of a certain disease before they can produce the "antibodies" of the corresponding disease, but many diseases, once developed, may lead to serious complications, and may even be disabling and fatal. For example, cowpox can cause pneumonia, polio can cause paralysis or disability, and measles, if severe, can lead to complications such as measles pneumonia and measles encephalitis.
Vaccines allow us not only to avoid disease, but also to have antibodies against disease to protect the body. Replacing vaccine immunity with natural immunity is a joke with life.
Myth 7
Myth content: Generally, important childhood vaccines are free, and the second type of vaccine has no effect and needs to be paid for by yourself, so there is no need to vaccinate your child.
Analysis: Fake! A type II vaccine is also necessary.
There are two types of vaccines: planned vaccines and unplanned vaccines. Planned vaccines (Class I vaccines) are free vaccines that are included in the planned immunization program by the state, and must be vaccinated after the baby is born.
Unplanned vaccines (Class II vaccines) are self-funded vaccines, and the state does not require them to be shot, but Class II vaccines are an effective supplement to immunization program vaccines, which prevent some common diseases, such as chickenpox vaccine, pneumococcal vaccine, rotavirus vaccine, etc., These vaccines also have great benefits for the improvement of baby immunity, so it is recommended that parents can be vaccinated according to the specific situation of the child and the recommendation of the doctor.
Myth 8
Myth: Vaccines can destroy a child's immune system, so you can get less shots.
Analysis: Fake! The vaccine not only does not reduce the child's own immunity, but can enhance the body's resistance.
Before the vaccine is approved for public use, it has undergone rigorous clinical trials and confirmed safety and efficacy before it is officially available.
In addition, the vaccine is made with inactivated or attenuated microorganisms, which stimulate the body's immune system to produce resistance substances and "remember" the foreign microorganism. When the human body encounters this foreign microorganism again, the immune system will quickly recognize and produce more resistant substances based on the original memory.
In other words, vaccination increases the body's immunity to specific diseases and does not adversely affect the child's own immunity.
Source: Scientific refutation of rumors