Popular Immunization Myths Busted

Vaccines Contain Unsafe Toxins

Many of the concerns about vaccination surround the idea vaccines use toxic chemicals as a preservative or method of transport. Hearing others tell you vaccines contain mercury and formaldehyde can definitely seem intimidating. However, the FDA explains the amount of formaldehyde someone is exposed to during vaccination is so tiny, it is less than the amount our bodies naturally produce.

It is also worth noting when individuals talk about mercury in a vaccine, they are not talking about the toxic methylmercury that builds up in the body to toxic levels. Instead, vaccines use ethylmercury, which leaves the body without causing any problems within days. Even though these ingredients are not too dangerous, many manufacturers are phasing them out to ease worries about vaccines containing unsafe toxins.

Continue reading to learn about the myth surrounding getting simultaneous vaccines.

It's Better To Get Vaccines One At A Time

As doctors began recommending more and more vaccinations, many parents worried their children might get sick from an overload of vaccines. This led to many thinking it's better to get vaccines one at a time. However, this significantly underestimates the human immune system. As soon as we are born, we have plenty of B and T immune cells that work to develop antibodies against foreign organisms.

Experts have calculated even young children can respond to ten thousand vaccines at a single time. Therefore, you have nothing to worry about from just the eleven recommended vaccines. Getting multiple vaccinations at once is often preferable because many of them can be mixed. This reduces the number of shots children have to take, so it is less traumatic.

Continue reading to learn about the myth related to herd immunity.