In global statistics, infectious diseases are still considered one of the causes of mortality. Each state is trying to protect itself through vaccinations from the spread of the most dangerous infections. There is no more effective measure in the world to combat pandemics and epidemics of infections than vaccination.
Thanks to vaccinations, plague and cholera, which destroyed states and continents, disappeared forever.
Vaccination wiped out smallpox from the face of the earth, the mortality rate from which reached 40%, and left disfiguring scars on the face and body of the surviving people forever. The final elimination of smallpox from the world was declared at the WHO Assembly in 1980. Since that time, smallpox vaccination itself has been discontinued. Nowadays, thanks to vaccinations, the spread of polio has been stopped in most countries.
Without vaccinations, epidemics of dangerous infections would now be raging in the world, spreading throughout the world much faster than two centuries ago.
What are the most common myths about vaccinations?
The whole truth about vaccinations is an exciting topic for parents and a pressing topic for the media. Let's look at how doctors refute some myths about vaccinations.
Myth #1 – About vaccines containing mercury
“Vaccines contain mercury as a preservative and provoke the development of autism in children.”
The truth is that some vaccines actually contain ethyl mercury (merthiolate or thimerosal) as a preservative. Ethyl mercury is used to protect the vaccine from germs. However, a small amount of thimerosal in 1 dose of 6 mcg cannot harm health. According to WHO standards, an infant can safely receive 5 mcg of mercury per week without health risks. In addition, merthiolate is eliminated from the body in less than a week, while methyl mercury can remain in place for up to 40 days. In fact, the mercury content in the food we eat is much higher than in 1 dose of a vaccine. For example, shrimp contain 27 micrograms of mercury per 1 kg. The tuna we eat contains up to 165 mercury per 1 kg, and fried halibut contains 70 mcg per 1 kg.
However, under public pressure, manufacturers began to create vaccines without the addition of thimerosal. Currently, vaccines containing and without thimerosal are available for sale in the Russian Federation. Russia produces a vaccine against hepatitis B "Combiotech" without thimerosal (thimerosal). Refusal of vaccinations with vaccines that contain merthiolate, however, could not stop the increase in autism in all countries, because the nature of autism is genetically determined and is not related to vaccinations.
Myth No. 2 - about the state making money on vaccinations
“The state and doctors make money from vaccinations, but children suffer from vaccinations”
It’s true that doctors’ responsibilities include providing vaccinations to the population, but they do not receive a bonus or other type of monetary reward for this. As for the state’s profit from vaccinations, on the contrary, it takes upon itself to protect the population from infections and provides free vaccination according to the calendar. In addition, the expensive process of creating vaccines is also financed by the state budget.
Myth No. 3 – vaccinations are worse than infections
“Vaccinations are more dangerous than the infection itself”
The truth about vaccinations is that every drug, including vaccines, has acceptable side effects. Complications after vaccination develop in isolated cases, but after an illness they are much more common and severe. According to WHO information, such a complication as vaccine-associated paralytic poliomyelitis occurs in 1 case out of 1,500,000 vaccinations. This complication also often develops after the use of a live oral vaccine. In Russia there is now a question of stopping the use of a live vaccine and replacing it with an inactivated vaccine. In case of infection with polio, paralysis develops in every tenth case, according to statistics. During the polio epidemic in Africa, almost every school class had a student crippled by paralysis.
For other infections, the statistics of complications are also sad. Diphtheria is fatal in 1 case out of 20. During a measles epidemic, a complication in the form of pneumonia develops in 6 cases out of 100. Encephalitis as a complication of measles is detected in 1 case out of 1000. Measles vaccination in most cases occurs in the form of a mild reaction on the spot injections.
Myth No. 4 - about vaccination with DPT vaccine
“The DTP vaccine gives too many reactions, and the vaccine is needed. Vaccination is responsible for sudden infant death”
The truth is that myths about vaccinations include an unconfirmed scientific idea linking vaccinations with sudden death in young children. The so-called sudden infant or child death syndrome (SIDS or SIDS).
The sudden death of an adult or infant is known not only to doctors all over the world. Of the total number of sudden deaths, child mortality is no more than 9%. Most often, the syndrome is registered in the USA, New Zealand, England, and Russia. Most infant deaths between 2 and 4 months occur during vaccinations. In this regard, studies conducted at the US institute could not prove the involvement of vaccinations in infant mortality syndrome.
Which vaccines cause redness?
Many vaccines produce local adverse reactions in the form of pain, induration and swelling, and redness at the injection site; in addition, this is a common reaction to an injection. But some vaccines, for example, DTP, give pronounced reactions - we’ll talk about them briefly (only local reactions will be described here; fever, for example, will be described in another article).
Prevention of COVID-19
After vaccination against coronavirus, the usual mild local reactions are possible: swelling, soreness, redness. They all go away in 2-3 days without outside intervention, but if you experience discomfort, you can take allergy medicine. This applies to all covid vaccines, including Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna, Sputnik V.
DTP
DTP is a complex vaccine that protects against several diseases at once, and is also “famous” for the most frequent complications, compared to other vaccines. Redness is no exception, and after DTP it occurs quite often (probability approximately 25%), and is more pronounced.
Redness is a normal reaction of the body to artificial infection; evidence of the beginning to “attack” the infected cells. If we are talking about inactivated vaccines, then the redness is slight (the norm is 2-3 cm, no more than 6-7 cm), and should go away in 2-3 days. For “live” vaccines, local reactions begin to appear only after a week.
You should sound the alarm if the area of redness noticeably increases - up to 7-8 cm, and there is an exacerbation of other local and general reactions: high temperature, throbbing pain at the injection site, red and hot skin, the tissue in the compaction feels soft to the touch. In such situations, it is better not to self-medicate, but to immediately consult a doctor.
Prevention of whooping cough, hepatitis B, tetanus, polio
ADS, ADS-M, Infanrix, Pentaxim, Poliorix, Regevak, Tetraxim may cause pain and redness in the first 3 days.
Prevention of Hepatitis A
After vaccines Avaxim, Havrisk and others, pain and redness are possible in the first 3 days.
Flu prevention
As with many other vaccinations, flu vaccines (Influvac, Vaxigrip and others) can give a standard local reaction in the form of pain and redness at the injection site.
Prevention of tick-borne encephalitis
Usual pain and redness at the injection site for the first 3 days.
Prevention of meningococcal and pneumococcal infections
Also, during the first 3 days, pain and redness are possible after vaccines Prevenar, Hiberix, Meningo A+C and the like.
HPV prevention
Pain and redness after the Gardasil vaccine are possible for 5 days.
Prevention of rabies
Cocav – swelling, redness, itching, pain.
Prevention of yellow fever
Usual local reactions for 3 days.
Prevention of typhoid fever
Vianvac – pain and redness in the first 3 days.
Myth No. 6 - about the dangers of vaccinations for children under one year old
“You need to wait with vaccinations until a year, when the child is stronger, and then vaccinate”
The truth is that a baby has protective maternal antibodies in its body until it is six months old. After 6 months, he can still receive antibodies against infections through his mother's milk. When bottle-fed, a child’s immune system after 6 months is very vulnerable to infections. At this age, the child begins an active life and comes into contact with relatives and neighbors, being at risk of infection.
By 6 months, according to the vaccination calendar, a child has time to receive protection against tuberculosis, hepatitis B, diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus and polio. Thus, vaccinations guarantee the baby a safe introduction to the outside world.
Myth No. 7 - about the dangers of vaccination against hepatitis
“The hepatitis vaccine destroys the liver”
The truth is that the hepatitis B vaccine cannot have a negative effect on the liver because the vaccine is not metabolized there. The complex chemical processes of breakdown and transformation of the vaccine occur in the blood plasma, and not in the liver cells. The vaccine antigen is taken up by blood cells, after which the immune cells respond by inducing antibodies against the hepatitis virus.
Myth No. 8 - about hiding the harm from vaccinations
“The state is silent about the actual number of cases of side effects of vaccinations”
The truth is that according to the law “On Immunoprophylaxis of Infectious Diseases”, all cases of side effects of vaccines are included in state statistics. Doctors report cases of complications after vaccinations to the Federal Service for the Protection of Population Rights - Rospotrebnadzor. The system for registering and investigating complications after vaccinations in Russia actually works.
Myth No. 9 – it’s better to get sick than to get vaccinated
“Vaccination does not provide 100% protection against infection, then it’s better to get over the disease”
The truth is that the purpose of vaccination is not only to prevent infection, but also to get rid of severe and fatal infections. Even if the vaccination does not provide 100% protection, but less, then in case of infection the person will suffer from a milder form of the infectious disease. In this case, the infected patient will not have severe complications that can lead to disability for life.
Myth No. 10 - about the dangers of combined vaccinations
“If you are going to vaccinate a child, then not against several infections at the same time, but separately, at intervals, so as not to overload his immune system.”
The truth is that even a child’s body is able to simultaneously perceive 10 thousand antigens and develop immunity. The combined DTP vaccine contains 3002 antigens. And in the combined pentavalent vaccine “Pentaxim” there are only 45 antigens. At the same time, the immune system does not strain, but trains. When used together, combination vaccines contain fewer additives than the sum of the same vaccines taken separately. This means that the risk of allergic reactions from combination vaccinations is ultimately reduced.
In addition, a person receives fewer antigens with a vaccine than with food, air and water. After all, the air alone contains an innumerable number of different microbial antigens. And drinking water always contains antigens in the form of rods and bacteria that we cannot see with the naked eye. And the body adapts to such an army of antigens and produces antibodies. Have you noticed that when we come to another area where the drinking water changes, at first there is an upset of the digestive tract. This happens because the immune system has not yet developed antibodies to the bacterial composition of the local water. But then 2-3 days pass, and our immune system has produced antibodies that automatically continue to successfully fight bacteria in the local water.
In conclusion, we emphasize that most myths about vaccination are born from medical ignorance and fear of the unknown. We hope that our answers have provided clarity and will help change people's attitudes towards vaccination.
In Russia, vaccine production is carried out in state research institutes. Monitoring the quality of produced vaccines is carried out by the Research Institute for Standardization and Control of Medical Biological Preparations named after. L. A. Tarasevich. All vaccines undergo laboratory and clinical testing for safety of use. Doctors report cases of reactions to vaccination to Rospotrebnadzor. The purchase of imported vaccines and their registration in Russia are carried out under the control of the Ministry of Health.
Observation after vaccination
If the redness is slight and lasts no longer than 3 days, there is nothing to worry about. Many mothers begin to worry when the area of redness grows or when it does not go away for a long time. But here, first of all, you need to look at the child’s well-being: if there are no noticeable problems, then you should not panic, even if the redness does not go away for a couple of weeks.
To know exactly what reactions are possible after vaccination, carefully read the instructions for the vaccine. We advise you to follow the following rules after vaccination:
- Do not wet or heat the injection site, it should be dry. Wear clothing to prevent the injection site from sweating.
- When you wash, do not rub the injection site with a washcloth; it is better if soap does not get on it.
- Do not treat the wound with anything, including ointments, creams, brilliant green and iodine.
- Do not rub or comb the wound, do not let your child do this.
- You should dress in loose clothing so that the injection site does not rub against the fabric. It is better to choose clothes made from natural fabrics, as synthetics can cause an allergic reaction.
How to relieve the condition
Since redness is a common local reaction to the vaccine, we strongly advise you not to panic and avoid self-medication: after 1-3 days, the redness will go away on its own, and the wrong medications can only worsen your well-being. If your child tries to scratch the injection site, you can cover it with a light gauze bandage.
