All about vaccination: the benefits and harms of vaccinations

What is vaccine and vaccination?

Vaccination is the process of introducing special drugs into the body, which include neutralized viruses and bacteria. They are called antigens. Once entering the body, antigens are quickly recognized by the immune system, which begins to produce antibodies in response to their presence. These antibodies create a reliable “shield”, thanks to which wild strains of viruses and bacteria cannot cause significant harm to the body.

There is a national vaccination calendar approved by the Russian Ministry of Health. It covers all stages of vaccination and revaccination for both adults and children, starting from birth. This calendar is constantly updated with new vaccines.

According to the vaccination calendar, it is recommended that the child be vaccinated against hepatitis B on the first day after birth. On the fourth day of life, BCG-M vaccination is carried out.

When the baby is one month old, he is given a second vaccination against hepatitis B. At the age of two months, the baby is vaccinated against pneumococcus and rotavirus infection.

At the age of three months, vaccinations against diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus, polio and Haemophilus influenzae are recommended. All these are three-time vaccinations with subsequent revaccinations.

When your baby turns 12 months old, he is given the measles, rubella and mumps vaccine. The vaccination plan also includes vaccinations against papillomavirus and chickenpox. If parents plan to send their child to kindergarten or he attends public events, he is vaccinated against meningococcal infection and hepatitis A. These vaccines are also administered to children living in unfavorable epidemiological conditions.

Vaccines that are administered under adverse environmental conditions also include tick-borne encephalitis and yellow fever. There are seasonal vaccines, for example against influenza. Some vaccines are designed for emergency use. These include the rabies vaccine, which must be administered within 24 hours after an animal bite. There is also a Mantoux reaction. This vaccine is given annually to prevent the risk of contracting tuberculosis.

If the task of vaccines is to create immunity, then revaccinations are designed to maintain it at the required level. Vaccinations that require revaccination include whooping cough, tetanus, measles, mumps, rubella and diphtheria.

What is important to know about the Ministry of Health’s list of deadly vaccinations

Russians are wary of important vaccinations Photo: Alexander Elizarov © URA.RU

The appearance on the Internet of a manual from the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation with recommendations on the use of deadly vaccinations excited not only ordinary Russians, but also the medical community. According to the professor of the State Research Institute of Vaccines and Serums named after. I. I. Mechnikov RAMS Mikhail Kostinov , the document itself is a “misunderstanding,” but the problem of vaccination and the attitude towards vaccinations on the part of the country’s citizens requires additional education. Why you shouldn’t be afraid of vaccines, how to protect yourself from fatal diseases against the backdrop of the “common cold” and where fears of vaccinations come from, an immunologist told URA.RU

— Mikhail Petrovich, how did you react to the appearance in the media of the Russian Ministry of Health guidelines on deadly vaccines?

According to an immunologist, vaccines are absolutely safe for health

Photo: Pixabay.com

— The very wording “deadly vaccines” is creepy and frightening. Any doctor has a question: why release a medicine if it causes people to die? This is nonsense, but I think that this whole story is just a big misunderstanding.

— Are vaccines and inoculations fraught with any danger?

— You need to understand that any vaccine, like antibiotics and vitamins, has indications and contraindications. Any immunobiological drug undergoes many examinations. If there is even the slightest chance that its use will lead to death, then the government cannot release it. These requirements are international.

“But one cannot deny the obvious fact: Russians are reluctant to get vaccinated, and many are trying to protect their children from the same DTP vaccine (against whooping cough, diphtheria and tetanus).

— The whole problem, as usual, comes from ignorance. If we take the DTP vaccine, then the requirements are the same in both the USA and Russia: it cannot be given to patients of any age who have severe damage to the central nervous system. These data are naturally taken into account by doctors before vaccination. For patients with contraindications, there is another class of vaccines. Roughly speaking, the amount of antigen in it is reduced three thousand times.

Vaccines undergo multiple trials

Photo: Vladimir Zhabrikov © URA.RU

— Why then not give everyone a “safe” option to avoid side effects?

— It has been proven that the first type is more effective than the “purified” one. Moreover, the World Health Organization (WHO) advocates the first option for vaccinating children. And I would like to separately note that side effects often mean an absolutely normal reaction of the body in the form of fever or slight redness of the skin. Moreover, people often panic even if there were no effects from the vaccine at all.

— Do the symptoms appear immediately?

— In the case of DTP, the reaction appears almost immediately. In other cases, individual symptoms may appear on days 3-4.

— In addition to the DPT vaccine, BCG is also on the “deadly” list. Can you tell me what it is?

— This is the only super vaccine against tuberculosis in its class. There is no other one in the world yet. There is only one category that is prohibited from receiving this vaccine - children born with primary (congenital) immunodeficiency of the cellular type. But such children cannot be given other drugs - the same polio vaccines, against rubella, chickenpox. But very few such children are born now.

— What is stopping you from promoting the idea of vaccination in Russia?

— Prevention methods must be improved, but how will this happen if people themselves refuse to be vaccinated and become targets of infections. Vaccination is needed so that people do not become chronically ill and can have children in the future. You need to understand: if a person gets sick with polio or diphtheria, it is no longer possible to recover. Tetanus has no cure. Tuberculosis, which was mentioned above, too. If we talk about children with serious diagnoses, then they need to be given vaccinations, which can even stop serious diseases for a while. For example, for infectious pathologies and bronchopulmonary, for diseases of the renal system.

— Every year, outbreaks of acute respiratory infections and influenza occur in every region. Is this also a consequence of weak vaccination?

- Undoubtedly. Everyone forgets that the flu is not just a runny nose, cough, or fever. Flu is a terrible thing that can very quickly lead to a pandemic and fatal complications. It often puts a fatal strain on the cardiovascular system. If a person gets the flu for the first time, up to 7% of such cases can result in a heart attack and up to 12% in a stroke. Moreover, before this, a person can be absolutely healthy. Don't forget about pneumonia, which goes hand in hand with the flu. He first sterilizes the entire name system - almost like an ax to the head.

What are the benefits of vaccinations?

Epidemics and dangerous diseases have always accompanied humanity. Some of them claimed millions of lives. Thanks to the creation of vaccines, it was possible to completely eradicate a disease such as smallpox. Outbreaks of anthrax, polio and diphtheria are much less common. Vaccines have made diseases manageable.

Mass vaccination of children and adults contributes to the development of collective immunity. This stops the process of transmission of infection from infected people to healthy people. Since those vaccinated have antibodies, they do not become infected and the disease gradually subsides, stopping its spread.

Vaccines help humanity. With their help, it was possible to reduce the mortality rate, they prevent disability in case of infection, and help fight the most dangerous diseases.

Can the vaccine cause harm?

The composition of the vaccine is strictly regulated. However, the vaccine causes a number of reactions in some people. They are divided into acceptable and undesirable. Acceptable reactions are related to the functioning of the immune system. These include:

increased body temperature;
moderate malaise;
lethargy;
moodiness;
a feeling of pain and swelling at the injection site.

These symptoms go away on their own over a short period of time. Medical assistance is not required.

Adverse reactions most often occur in people with hypersensitivity, individual intolerance or immune disorders. In this case, a variety of allergic reactions, including anaphylactic shock, may occur.

To avoid unwanted reactions, a person must undergo a comprehensive examination before vaccination. After administering the drug, the patient should also be under the supervision of medical personnel for half an hour. If a child is at risk or has contraindications, an individual vaccination schedule is developed for him.

With the right and responsible approach, unwanted reactions occur extremely rarely.

Why vaccination is dangerous: doctors’ opinion

The 2021 pandemic has forced many to reconsider their attitude towards their health, the structure of society and life in general. The debate about the benefits and harms of vaccinations has also intensified, despite always being extremely heated. A vaccine against coronavirus was invented in Russia, which provoked a new wave of discussions. Does it make sense to get vaccinated or do they pose a greater danger to humans? Candidate of Medical Sciences, ophthalmic surgeon, nutritionist Murat Kade @doktor_vegan and neurologist and naturopath Ksenia Mashkina @dr_mashkina helped us figure this out.

— Would you recommend getting vaccinated against coronavirus or flu? If not, why not?

Ksenia M.:

No, I would not give such recommendations.
First of all, because viruses mutate very quickly and it is impossible to know exactly what a person will become infected with and whether the vaccine will hit the target with a specific mutation. Only 7% of all acute respiratory infections are caused by the influenza virus. Let me quote from Amantonio’s book “To Vaccinate or Not to Vaccinate?
or Well, just think, an injection! Myths about vaccination : “A Cochrane systematic review of 259 studies of influenza vaccines concluded that 70% of the studies were of poor quality and overly optimistic in their conclusions.
Only 18% of studies had consistent findings. Think about it. In 82% of studies, the conclusions did not match the results!
"

Murat K.:

So, influenza viruses and coronaviruses are RNA-containing viruses.
Viruses from this group make many mistakes when copying themselves, as a result of which they quickly mutate - different strains are constantly formed, slightly different from each other. Specific immunity to one strain usually does not provide protection from another
.
This is why influenza epidemics happen every six months, in general, just like coronavirus epidemics. Indeed, in the structure of seasonal acute respiratory viral infections, both of these viral families make up almost the same share - about 15%. But, as we know, not everyone gets sick during epidemics
.
People with good nonspecific (innate) immunity do not get sick. It is this that is the first barrier to viruses and is carried out mainly with the help of interferons and special cells that absorb viruses. If this line of defense fails, then after 3-5 days specific immunity comes into play and the synthesis of antibodies begins. Vaccination is aimed specifically at this part of the immune system and completely ignores innate immunity
, which is also weakened by unfavorable environmental conditions, chronic stress, poor lifestyle, and consumption of junk food.
Therefore, vaccines are in principle unable to prevent infection with the virus
.
As for flu vaccinations specifically, they are produced every six months, in some inexplicable way predicting the emergence of new strains that will cause an epidemic in the future. Of course, there are official explanations for this, but they do not stand up to criticism. But scientific research suggests that vaccines against highly variable viruses (influenza, coronaviruses, etc.) are simply dangerous. We are talking about the phenomenon of antibody-dependent enhancement of infection
.
Its essence is to enhance the infection process with a slightly modified strain of the virus, in the presence of antibodies specific to its other variant. Instead of fighting the development of infection, antibodies enhance the spread of the virus, facilitate its penetration into cells, block antiviral protection and thereby significantly increase the severity of the disease. In addition, vaccination may cause the activation of another similar viral disease
.
For example, getting a flu shot can make it easier to contract the coronavirus and make it more severe.
As for the COVID-19 vaccine, it was created in Russia in about 6 months, although
usually the creation of a vaccine against a new pathogen takes at least 2-5 years, and this does not take into account the study of the long-term effects of vaccination.
On average, most known vaccines took decades to create.
The Russian coronavirus vaccine is registered as a drug intended for use in emergency situations. It has not undergone full clinical trials
, so neither the duration of protection, nor its effectiveness, nor its safety are known.
Interactions with other medications have not been studied, and all side effects, especially long-term effects, are not known. Although the instructions for this vaccine already contain an impressive list of identified side effects
and contraindications.
Considering the above and the fact that acute respiratory viral infections (including influenza and coronavirus) are not serious diseases and do not pose any danger to 99% of people and to the population as a whole, and severe course and complications are typical only for patients with concomitant serious chronic diseases, then carry out I consider vaccination inappropriate
, especially taking into account the high risk of complications from these vaccinations.
Instead, I recommend strengthening your innate immune system using traditional, safe methods.
— Do you give yourself or your child any other vaccinations? Why yes/no?

Murat K.:

When I was in medical school, we were fed into our heads the generally accepted official position on vaccinations.
During my student days, no one thought about this, since there was a huge amount of information that needed to be learned and remembered. In addition, for a person who does not yet have children of his own, thinking about the effect of classical vaccinations is simply irrelevant. Therefore, we vaccinated our first child according to the calendar. Fortunately, there were no serious complications, apart from minor side effects. Therefore, we had no reason to study the topic of vaccinations further. But the middle child had a fairly serious complication after the vaccination
.
The symptoms were very similar to heavy metal poisoning. Fortunately, this time there were only minor losses. But this was the impetus for me to start looking for information on the composition of vaccines, studying research and comparing facts. After that, we do not vaccinate our children and the third child did not receive a single vaccine
.
I also haven’t given myself any vaccinations since childhood. Paradoxically, most diseases do not pose a danger to people with good immunity, and weakened immunity is usually a contraindication to vaccination. At the same time, the risk of getting a complication from vaccination is often higher than the risk of getting a severe form of infection
. The exception is tetanus. Tetanus bacillus multiplies with the release of a strong exotoxin, getting on damaged tissue, but only in an oxygen-free environment. Therefore, if the wound is deep and the likelihood of infection is high, then it is better to resort to emergency prevention by administering PSCH and tetanus toxoid, since the disease is serious and lasts a long time (up to several months).

Ksenia M.:

Now I don't do any vaccinations at all. I was vaccinated before: in Soviet times, according to the childhood vaccination calendar, and about 10 years ago at work. There is now a lot of information available about the dangers of vaccinations. After studying this topic, I concluded for myself that I will not interfere with the functioning of the immune system in this way.

— What exactly does the vaccine contain that is harmful? Why exactly is it dangerous?

Murat K.:

Many vaccines contain
aluminum
, an adjuvant that enhances the production of antibodies (on average about 300 mcg per vaccine, up to 1000 mcg in combination vaccines).
This metal accumulates in nerve tissue
, leading to acute and chronic disorders, including delayed onset, abnormal brain development, learning disabilities and dementia.
There is a connection between aluminum poisoning and the development of multiple sclerosis, chronic myalgia, and chronic fatigue syndrome. Most vaccines use merthiolate, which contains mercury,
.
On average, one vaccine contains about 25 micrograms of mercury. In Russia, a child under 6 months of age receives at least 120 mcg of mercury through vaccinations. Against the backdrop of poorly functioning detoxification systems, lipophilic mercury in the composition of merthiolate penetrates the brain and accumulates there
.
And the aluminum contained in vaccines significantly increases its toxicity, leading to various pathologies, including autism. Some vaccines may contain phenol
, a protoplasmic toxin that can cause paralysis, weakness, kidney damage, heart failure, and contribute to a significant weakening of cellular immunity.
Carcinogenic formaldehyde
is also found in vaccines . In addition, during the production of vaccines, they often contain mycoplasmas that lead to the occurrence of autoimmune diseases, avian leukemia viruses, which after a long time can provoke the growth of cancer cells, cell culture residues (chicken embryos, quail fibroblasts, human serum albumins, etc.) . As well as many other pathogens, viruses and toxic components.

Ksenia M.:

Almost all vaccines contain adjuvants. In particular, aluminum. Other vaccines contain ethylmercury as a preservative. Briefly, why these metals are dangerous: autism, diseases of the nervous system (including dementia), seizures, polyneuritis, demyelination, mental disorders, decreased cognitive functions (memory, reaction, thinking), nervous tics, developmental disorders in children. It should also be remembered that aluminum and mercury increase each other’s toxicity.

— What are the most dangerous consequences of vaccinations?

Ksenia M.:

Anaphylactic shock, collapse, convulsions. These conditions lead to brain hypoxia with corresponding consequences. Meningitis, encephalitis, Guillain-Barre palsy, vasculitis, multiple sclerosis, and serum sickness are also dangerous. Possible death.

What then can you do to save yourself from the flu? Here are my funds! Prevention, hardening, proper sleep, stress control, clean nutrition, sufficient drinking regime and physical activity in the fresh air. And if you do become infected, take natural remedies given to us by nature, for example: vitamin C, elderberry extract, zinc, vitamin D and probiotics.

Murat K.:

The consequences of vaccination are many and very diverse.
Here are just some of the most dangerous
- autism, decreased intelligence, anaphylactic shock, organ and systemic autoimmune diseases, encephalitis, meningitis, oncology, sepsis, sudden infant death.
The frequency and severity of post-vaccination complications are determined by individual sensitivity and characteristics of the child’s body. Many long-term consequences of vaccination in practice are often not associated with vaccinations, since they can only appear after decades
. But theoretical evidence and animal studies support this connection.

Material prepared by Nadezhda Petrova

Refusal to vaccinate: possible consequences

It is necessary to understand that vaccination is the right of every person, but not an obligation. You yourself make the decision about the need for certain vaccinations.

Refusal to vaccinate will deprive your child of needed protection. As a result, the risk of contracting dangerous infections increases. Massive refusal to vaccinate can lead to epidemics and increased mortality from disease.

Routine vaccination was created specifically to protect the population by creating artificial immunity. This is the only way to protect yourself from diseases that, thanks to vaccinations, are a thing of the past.