Vaccine Hesitancy: Myth vs. Fact

You may have heard of many myths surrounding vaccines from family or friends or through social media. In this article, we will dispel common misinformation about vaccines.  

MYTH: Vaccines cause disease.  

FACT: Vaccines are an effective way to prevent life-threatening diseases by boosting your body’s natural immune defenses. Most reactions to vaccines are temporary and minor (fever or soreness at the injection site). You are more likely to be harmed by a vaccine-preventable disease than you are by a vaccine. Vaccines are a crucial way you can defend yourself and prevent disease, and the benefits greatly outweigh the risks.  

MYTH: Vaccines contain harmful ingredients.  

FACT: Vaccines contain substances that are found naturally in the human body, and only contain safe, effective levels of chemicals. Any chemical can be harmful in excess, so vaccines are developed with safe levels of ingredients like mercury or formaldehyde, that do not cause poisoning. Vaccines are tested rigorously for safety and efficacy before being approved and certified for use in the public.  

MYTH: Vaccines alter your DNA.  

FACT: Vaccines such as the Moderna and Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines approved for use in the US contained mRNA with templates for the viral proteins. Introducing these to the body allows you to create antibodies to defend against the disease should you encounter it in the future. mRNA is not stable enough to persist in the body and is quickly degraded, and it does not alter your DNA.  

MYTH: Administering more than one vaccine at a time overwhelms a child’s immune system.  

FACT: Science demonstrates that giving several vaccines to children at a time does not harm their immune systems. Children’s immune systems are triggered daily in many ways, from exposure to a germ or a new food. When a child receives multiple vaccines in one visit, they are more likely to complete their recommended vaccines on time, will have fewer clinic visits, and some vaccines can be administered together (fewer injections).