Religion and politics are no longer the only taboo subjects at backyard barbeques. The topic of vaccines and vaccinations can trigger strong, and often opposing viewpoints for many people. It’s also fair to say there’s a lot of misinformation out there about even some of the most common and well-known types of vaccinations. And if there’s one thing we like doing here, its dispelling myths – with SCIENCE. We spoke to our immunology expert, Daniel Layton, to get the low down on this viral topic.
1. Vaccines cause autism – MYTH
Right off the bat we’re going for the most divisive myth, and it’s not because we want to upset anyone, it’s just that we know that we know what we’re talking about. We are Australia’s national science agency after all!
Here’s a bit of background info for this one: 20 years ago a former British doctor had an article published that falsely linked the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine to autism. The paper was retracted and the former doctor has his medical licence revoked, but unfortunately the myth persisted and it’s still endangering people’s lives today.
Since then a number of high quality studies have compared the health of large numbers of vaccinated and unvaccinated children. The largest of these included 537,303 children born in Denmark and found that unvaccinated children were just as likely to develop autism as vaccinated children. When the results of this study were combined with the results of nine other studies to include medical information from nearly 1.5 million children living all around the world, researchers confirmed that vaccination does not cause autism.
2. The flu vaccine can give me the flu – MYTH
Nah, we’ve all heard this one. Maybe you’ve even said it yourself?! Don’t worry, this is a safe space and we don’t judge! But it’s simply not true. In Australia if you’re getting the flu vaccine (and yes, you do need to get it every year because the virus changes so the vaccine is updated to protect you from the worst strain) you’re getting jabbed with a ‘completely killed vaccine’. It doesn’t contain a live virus so it cannot cause an infection.
3. If everyone else is vaccinated, I don’t need to be – MYTH
Vaccines can limit the amount of a virus in the community and when enough people are vaccinated against a disease (measles or whooping cough for example) the entire community is less likely to get the disease. So to keep this community protection – known as herd immunity – going, and help protect people who can’t get vaccinated (babies, pregnant women and people with immune deficiencies or recovering from cancer) we all need to do our part and keep those vaccination levels up. Eventually, the disease can become rare — and sometimes, it’s wiped out altogether, like small pox, for instance. Hooray!
4. Vaccines weaken your immune system – MYTH
Short answer: No, they don’t.
Long answer: No, they don’t, and it’s actually the opposite that’s true. Vaccines strengthen your immune system by stimulating your own natural defence mechanisms that in turn protect you from specific diseases. For some vaccines this immune strengthening can last for decades.
5. Vaccines are not proven to prevent the flu – MYTH
Wrong! The flu vaccine has been shown to protect against 60% of confirmed influenza infections (as opposed to a bad cold, which can seem very similar) and this can be even higher in children.
Influenza is a virus that just keeps on giving….in a bad way. Influenza is responsible for over 10,000 hospital visits and more than 1,000 deaths in Australia each year. In fact 2017 was the worst year on record with over 220,000 cases of influenza reported – not to mention the three to five million cases of influenza globally each year. So it’s really important that you make the time to get your shot!
Light us up!
You might be wondering why we’re even talking to you about this – it’s a great question, and thank you for asking! Other than the fact that we love talking about science (duh) and busting myths, we’re actually hanging out at Vivid Sydney right now. We’re showcasing an intimate view of viral and bacterial structures and we want you to come by and check it out, if that’s your thing. Even if it’s not come by and say hello anyway, our scientists are super friendly. Lock it in, and we’ll see you tonight, or any night up until 16 June!
8th June 2018 at 10:38 am
Unfortunately for scientists you seem to be more the marketing department for a government who is beholden to corporate profit.
To take such a light hearted and positive look at a subject that has a lot of issues around the safety and appropriateness and effectiveness of its many moving parts, seems very unscientific, at least to me.
For instance, we were told mercury was perfectly safe in vaccines. Then they removed it for safety reasons. How do we know this seeming ignorance is not at play now ?
In the west we have a chronic immune health issues including arthritis, asthma, food allergies and so on, and yet the primary man made intervention in the immune system is childhood vaccines, with very few identifiable safety studies proving them deemed safe.
We see get fully vaccinated groups catching measles at the same rate or higher than un-vaccinated people, and still the mantra – “Vaccines are safe and effective”.
And while vaccines are stated to be 100% safe and effective by government bodies, they are often not, and when this is reported by members of the public, the authorities take a skeptical and often mocking point of view, rather than utiising science to determine what is happening.
The public deserves to hear scientific truth about what exactly is and isn’t working with vaccines that are literally sold to them as ‘mandatory’ at birth, and what the problems are and have been, rather than a blanket marketing statement from the governments science labs (as if this somehow automatically lends credibility).
Its almost like there is a fear that ANY publicised failure in vaccines, would cause a PR disaster, and faith in vaccines to completely falter. And right there we are in the territory of faith, and then religion.
Rather than hearing that ‘vaccines don’t cause autism’ for instance, I would rather hear from the science group that has worked out WHY we have so much autism now, and what caused it.
8th June 2018 at 10:08 am
In what way are Chickens and Eggs harmed in producing vaccines? A fertile egg does not become a chicken until it has been incubated by either the hen or in an incubator so there is nothing to get hurt. Chickens are hurt? That’s a new one! Can someone please explain how that comes about?
Have a look at what happens in Chicken Hatcheries when the gender of those chicks is being determined. All the male chicks are simply thrown Alive down a vacuum tube to be minced up Alive. Now that IS Cruelty.
Why can’t they be allowed to grow and then provide vital Protein for people in countries hit by Famine?
Healthy eating and avoiding toxic chemicals can indeed help your body, via the Immune system, to fight infections and reduce the impact of them but it cannot stop you getting infected.
8th June 2018 at 9:54 am
“….chickens and eggs are harmed in producing vaccines… Does anyone actually believe that claim? Yes, scientists may use Eggs – or rather the material in eggs but they are inanimate aren’t they? Even if an egg appears to be fertilised if it’s not incubated, either by the hen or in an incubator, it will never, ever become a chicken.
Chickens are harmed? In what way? Please explain and prove that claim.
You do know, don’t you, Rebecca, what happens to all Male Chickens when being “sexed” at the Chicken Hatcheries don’t you? They get thrown, ALIVE, into a vacuum tube and minced up. Now that IS cruelty.
Those little chicks could be allowed to grow and provide lots of lovely Protein for people who are in famine areas
“Toxic Chemicals” That’s a new one to add to the irrational claims made by the anti-vaccinators. Rebecca, please name those Toxic Chemicals
“You can cure most diseases by healthy eating and avoiding toxic chemicals” that sounds like straight out of that book by that young woman who conned people into believing she had cured herself of terminal cancers but was proven to be a liar. What about the HPV vaccine? Without it tens of thousands of women would unnecessarily die.
They only thing good healthy eating can do is assist in keeping your immune system healthy to help in the fight against many illnesses. Healthy eating and avoiding toxic substances can make it easier for your immune system to fight any infections you may get but it won’t stop you getting infected.
7th June 2018 at 10:21 pm
Hello Ellen, it would be a good idea to actually address Rebecca’s questions… as these are the ones that are most important to a lot of people in the public domain…and there are others also which will , I know, be added to the list.. when reading your responses to your “Myths” it appears that the myths and responses are tailor made to be easily defended….perhaps with the exception of no.3. the myth was,,… If everyone else is vaccinated, I don’t need to be… from my point of view if it was me asking.. I would be coming from a personal point of self interest…as in.. I dont need to be,, as most every one else is… so i,m very unlikely to catch the virus/disease in the first place… not… i need to be to help eradicate the disease itself….hope this makes sense to the reader.(possibly not,, as its from my headspace and not yours) but there it is…..
7th June 2018 at 3:46 pm
Pinched from another site.
I’m a bit like you. I won’t drive over a bridge unless I have a full structural report including the tensile strength
and load-bearing capacity of EVERY piece of metal used in its construction. Actually, I object to the use of metal –
the same stuff atom bombs are made from. Some bridges are even made out of wood, the same stuff paper is made from.
Yes, that’s right – many bridges are made out of paper. Engineering companies earn billions from bridge-building but,
not surprisingly, bridges collapse all the time so they get to build more bridges and make even more money. People die
when bridges collapse – are you willing to spin that wheel and hope you aren’t among the dead? I have no objection to
the principle behind bridges but they need to build them properly and make them safe. Metal and wood are simply not
good enough. Until then, there is NO WAY I will ever cross a bridge. I swim across rivers instead, the way nature
intended – it’s far safer. No one ever died when a river collapsed.