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Research Says: Vaccines Will Not Negatively Affect You, by Blake Pezzarello

Writer's picture: Bottom of the HeartBottom of the Heart

Updated: Oct 14, 2022

Follow Blake on Instagram @blakepezz

Also, check out the youth medical organization Blake is a part of at https://www.whitbyyouthmed.com/

Introduction

Vaccines carry an abundance of controversy. Since Edward Jenner invented the smallpox vaccine in England in 1796, people have resisted vaccination (Hacket 23). When Jenner first introduced his vaccine, propaganda was immediately spread that vaccines cause unnecessary infection. Until the early 1950s, more than 20% of British citizens thought vaccines caused premature death (Riedel 21). Since there was much societal resistance against the smallpox vaccine, vaccines did not become popular until the early twentieth century, yet, many popular myths from the 1950s—for instance, that vaccines contain active viral ingredients—still exist today (“Vaccine”).


The next vaccines to be invented were for Diphtheria in 1914, Tetanus in 1926 and Pertussis in 1938. The vaccines were eventually combined to make one universal vaccine in 1948, known as DTP or TDaP to protect against all three with one shot (Ogden 4). The vaccine is still widely used today and is administered between the ages of ten and fourteen. It is eighty to ninety percent effective (Rusczyk 2). In the next half-century, vaccines against polio, measles, mumps, rubella, hepatitis and influenza followed (“Vaccine”).


Due to the falsehoods and public disputes surrounding vaccines, every year since 2009, the number of unvaccinated children has increased. In a 2018 Canadian study, 1.8% of children below the age of eighteen were found to be completely unvaccinated, compared to just 0.3% of children in 2001; a staggering 17.2% of children below the age of 18 are missing at least one vaccine (Zimlich 42). This increase in unvaccinated children could be because some claim that vaccines cause autism, even though all accounts linking vaccines and autism have been discredited (Davidson 6). Although autism has not been successfully linked to vaccines, there are risks one should discuss with one’s physician before getting immunized. Lastly, vaccines are up to 98% effective at stopping preventable diseases from spreading out of control (“Why”).

Vaccines are complex. There is much to understand and much false information in circulation. One must be careful that the vaccine information source is, in fact, accurate and based on fact.


Vaccines Do Not Cause Autism

In 1998, British scientist, Andrew Wakefield, conducted a fraudulent study linking the MMR vaccine to autism in young children. He wanted to see if there was a link between autism and the vaccine that immunizes against measles, mumps and rubella (Rusczyk 3). His study results indicated a particularly high percentage of autism in vaccinated children: “Onset of behavioural symptoms was associated, by the parents, with measles, mumps, and rubella vaccination in eight of the 12 children” (Wakefield 1). It was later discovered that his test subjects were specially chosen before the study was administered and individual trial results were, “taken out of context…totally attributed to pre-disposed conditions” (Smith 13). Still, the exponential rise in childhood autism rates in developed countries has been largely incorrectly attributed to modern vaccines (Rao 3).


Wakefield’s report was largely discredited—even proven wrong—from the beginning, but after the study was officially declared fraudulent in 2011, people still held on to the belief that vaccines cause autism (Rao 2). After his study results were discredited only twenty-three days after publishing, others rushed to test Wakefield’s theories on their own. The reality is that the sample size of the study was 12, the design was uncontrolled, the conclusions were very speculative and they lacked supporting evidence (Smith 16-17). In an American study of new parents, conducted in 2010, 34% of the sample audience was wary about giving their child vaccinations for fear that they may cause, “harm and delayed development” (“Science”). In 2002, Wakefield and a new team of researchers conducted a second study, “examining the relationship between measles virus and autism” (Offit). Their study again showed concerning results, however, there were flaws and the results were quickly disproven once again. The study focused solely on patients with atypical autism and found that 75 of the 92 vaccinated children showed, “samples of MMR [vaccine] in the stem cells,” while the unvaccinated patients did not (Budzyn 1). Since this final study, Wakefield has been proven wrong four times and more than twenty other studies have indirectly disproven his findings. Wakefield’s medical license was revoked in 2010 and he is no longer allowed to practise or study medicine (Pearl 30). Despite clear findings that autism is not linked to the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine, in a study of 50,000 Americans, 16% still believe vaccines are the main cause of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in young children (Brooks). One who is skeptical of vaccines should note that every conducted study claiming vaccines cause autism has been disproven, some even voluntarily removed by the scientists (“Vaccines”). One has the choice to immunize or not, but one should not make decisions based on false claims that vaccines cause autism.


Vaccines Affect Some Populations

While most medical professionals still recommend getting vaccinated against as many illnesses as possible, there are some risks one should be aware of and one should take precautions as necessary. For example, it is not recommended that pregnant individuals are administered the Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, the MMR vaccine or the chickenpox vaccine under any circumstances; additionally, people should avoid vaccinations against hepatitis while pregnant, unless immunization is necessary (Håberg 7). If individuals still choose to get these vaccines while pregnant, there are risks: “Fetus growing improperly or missing limbs… fetal death” (Håberg 15).


Certain people who are immunosuppressed or have compromised immune systems must also avoid vaccines. People with immune deficiencies may have adverse reactions to vaccines, including: “uncontrolled replication of the vaccine virus or bacterium…chronic rotavirus infection…pneumonia…sepsis” (“Immunization”). Such infections can lead to extreme sickness, long recoveries, paralysis and sometimes death. Cancer patients, especially when undergoing treatment, are among this group of immunocompromised people (Läubli 3). As a general rule, it is recommended that cancer patients avoid the HPV vaccine, even though it actually helps prevent various cancers transmitted during sexual intercourse (Läbli 7). More specifically, leukemia and lymphoma patients cannot get “live” vaccines, like the flu shot or the influenza vaccine, while someone undergoing breast cancer treatment is often recommended to get a yearly flu shot (Sahin 10). Cancer patients must be aware of the possible risks of vaccinations, and with help from their care teams, they should take appropriate precautions to stay safe.


Since vaccines are administered to improve people’s health, pharmaceutical companies responsible for developing and manufacturing vaccines are, “held to a high standard of safety

assurance” (Ellenburg 5). Mechanized and personal surveillance of vaccines is mandated in Canada and the United States, which reduces errors in vaccine production before vaccines are sent to pharmacies for use and distribution (Ellenburg 27-28). Since there are substantial risks of infection if there is an error with a vaccine, reliable preventative measures are in place to keep everyone safe. Nothing is perfect, and the same goes for vaccines, but one should not avoid vaccination unless advised to do so by a licensed medical professional.


Vaccines Are Necessary

Vaccines help stop outbreaks of preventable diseases that have not been completely eradicated through mass immunity or vaccines (“Why”). Before the polio vaccine became widespread in the 1950s, poliomyelitis claimed the lives of 32% of those infected in the United States; poliovirus was responsible for the deaths of a record 21,000 unvaccinated American children in 1952 (“Poliomyelitis”). Once the poliovirus vaccine became mainstream by 1955 and was refined in 1963, North America became polio-free in 1975 (“Poliomyelitis”). With every epidemic, vaccines have been proven to be effective at supporting the eradication of viruses: “ Beginning with Edward’s creation of the world’s first vaccine in the 1790s…scientists have evolved his simple barn science into one of medicine’s greatest achievements” (Stern 17-18). Vaccines have completely eradicated smallpox and rinderpest, and vaccines are very close to eradicating measles, mumps and rubella, with less than 500 new cases per year (Karafillakis 4843-47).


In the last thirty-five years, the most significant newly developed vaccines have been for chickenpox, various strains of influenza and Ebola. The chickenpox vaccine, licensed for use in Canada in 1998, has an over 90% success rate. The H1N1 vaccine, developed for the H1N1 strain of influenza, is 95% effective (Wu 11). The Ebola vaccine, invented in 2019 in a Canadian lab, has a 70-85% effectiveness rate (Matz 12).


Those who do not get vaccinated put others, who cannot be vaccinated, at risk of infection (Serpell 1). The elderly and young children who cannot get vaccinated due to age are at the highest risk of infection and death (Pearl 7). Those who have medical reasons for not getting vaccinated count on others to be immunized so they do not have to fear infection: “There’s no reliable way to know if everyone your child comes into contact with has been vaccinated” (Pearl 9). The purpose of vaccines is to limit the spread of diseases and eventually eradicate them so that those who cannot be vaccinated face minimal risk of infection. Vaccines are also intended to make populations healthier as a whole (“10”). Parents of children are assigned vaccination schedules by their family physicians. Families should follow these schedules to ensure everyone stays healthy.


Societal Impact

Vaccines, first produced in large quantities in 1926 to eradicate smallpox, have prevented an estimated 103 million cases of childhood diseases (Rappulio). Without immunization, society would see an estimated 2-3 million more deaths per year (Chan). The measles vaccine is estimated to have prevented at least 17 million deaths (Rappulio). Bill and Melinda Gates have been funding the development of new vaccines and are actively deploying free vaccine stations in Nigeria, Algeria and Sudan so that impoverished populations can get the necessary vaccinations to extend their lifespans (“Vaccine Development”). Still, many oppose vaccines. In popular media, groups of people against vaccination have created large online presences. Many of these groups, known as, “anti-vaxxers,” spread misinformation surrounding vaccinations and encourage people not to vaccinate themselves or their children. Much of this misinformation claims that, “vaccines cause autism” (Bizzarri 1). Everyone must ensure that the information they are receiving about vaccines is reliable, in order to make an educated decision.


If people do not vaccinate, they may be in a state of constant worry about contracting potentially deadly viruses. Vaccines reduce the concern that one may become infected. There is a less than 0.1% chance of getting infected from a vaccine (McCarthy). Vaccines allow for peace of mind that one can proceed with regular activities without the looming fear of sickness or putting others at risk. The Canadian government has had mandatory vaccines in place since 2011; one needs a medical note if he or she cannot get immunized (“Immunization”). While vaccines are in constant development, vaccines have helped, “prevent or modulate the course of some non-infectious diseases…cancer…addiction, diabetes, hypertension and Alzheimer’s disease” (Greenwood). Year after year, society has seen consistent improvement in the quality of mainstream vaccines and the number of vaccines available; vaccines are becoming more and more accessible (McCullers 3). Children can get their routine shots done through schools or at their local pharmacy. In Canada and the United States, if one is under the age of 18, routine vaccinations are free of charge. Governments do not want outbreaks of diseases that can be safely controlled (“Vaccines for”).


Vaccines will continue saving lives as long as people continue seeking immunization. Conversely, as long as vaccine misinformation continues to spread, some will hesitate to vaccinate. There are limitless possibilities for present and future vaccines to eradicate diseases and continue to save millions of lives.


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