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Vaccines: Top 5 myths about childhood vaccines
Do vaccines cause autism? Is it OK to skip certain vaccines? Consider the facts behind these and other myths about childhood vaccines.
By Mayo Clinic staffChildhood vaccines protect children from a range of serious diseases. Yet you may wonder about the benefits and risks of childhood vaccines. Consider common myths about childhood vaccines — and the facts behind the myths.
Myth: Vaccines aren't necessary
Fact: Childhood vaccines offer protection from a variety of serious or potentially fatal diseases, including diphtheria, measles, meningitis, polio, tetanus and whooping cough. If these diseases seem uncommon — or even unheard of — it simply means that vaccines are doing their job. If immunization rates drop, vaccine-preventable diseases may once again become common threats.
Myth: Vaccine side effects are dangerous
Fact: Any vaccine can cause side effects. Usually, these side effects are minor — low-grade fever, and soreness, redness or swelling at the injection site. Some vaccines cause temporary headache, dizziness, fatigue or loss of appetite. Rarely, a child may experience a severe allergic reaction or a neurological side effect, such as a seizure. Although these rare side effects are a concern, vaccines are much safer than the diseases they prevent.
Of course, vaccines aren't given to children who have known allergies to specific vaccine components. Likewise, if your child develops a life-threatening reaction to a particular vaccine, further doses of that vaccine won't be given.
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