Saar Kuzi
Alessandra Coutinho Fernandes
William Cope
Richard Tapping
Kashif Ahmad
Reda Sadki
Shubhra Kanti Karmaker Santu
Adam P Rusch
Elizabeth Edwards
Matthew LawFA16 Immunization Module’s Updates
Adverse reactions to vaccines
Due to a combination of misinformation and political agendas, vaccinations are not always seen advantageously. Misconceptions regarding immunization via vaccines are frequently used for political ammunition. Portions of populations can be dissuaded from acquiring vaccinations through these negatively held assumptions. The World Health Organization cites and challenges many widely held notions for vaccination deterrence, yet one belief with regards to adverse reactions to vaccinations can be seen throughout developing and developed countries: “"Vaccines cause many harmful side effects, illnesses, and even death - not to mention possible long-term effects we don't even know about." [1]
One common correlation is seen with the Diphtheria-Tetanus-Pertussis (DTP) vaccine and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). This belief was fostered by fact that a reasonable proportion of infants who die from SIDS have been recently vaccinated. However, the causation is due to two separate events running parallel with one another: most infants die from SIDS at the same age range in which infants are normally vaccinated. The Institute of Medicine corroborated this fact with findings that suggested no correlation: “all controlled studies that have compared immunized versus non-immunized children have found either no association . . . or a decreased risk . . . of SIDS among immunized children.”[1]
However, it should be noted that the Center for Disease Control (CDC) recognizes some adverse, yet not deleterious, effects of vaccinations. Mild side effects of vaccines includes, headaches, upper respiratory tract infection, stuffy nose, sore throat, diarrhea, or fever. These mild non-life-threatening symptoms can vary from 1-10% of people given vaccines. [2] Additionally, serious problems including blood in the urine, pneumonia, or stomach inflammation can reportedly occur in approximately 1% of individuals given vaccines.[2] However, these issues are not definitively attributed towards vaccinations.
Thus, mild symptoms may provide the basis for the severe claims supported by anti-vaccination believers. Adverse effects of vaccinations do occur, albeit they statistically affect a smaller portion of vaccinated individuals. Ultimately, the attributed causation of vaccinations linked to death of individuals is false, but has a reasonable basis to form the credibility of the argument.
[1]http://www.who.int/vaccine_safety/initiative/detection/immunization_misconceptions/en/index4.html
[2]http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vac-gen/side-effects.htm
@Murad My issue with this is that while healthcare providers will agree that the risk of adverse reaction is much smaller than the risk of not vaccinating, anti-vaxxers will eat this up and exaggerate mild symptoms in order to back their claims.
@Mohammed Hayat I think this idea of adverse reactions is something that is extremely important, not just in vaccination, but medicine in general. While negative reactions to vaccinations may be rare, they are something that must be considered when weighing the decision whether or not to vaccinate. However, unlike other areas of medicine, I would say that in most cases the benefits of vaccinating would greatly outweigh the risks. Also, it is also important to note that like in other areas of medicine, there are factors that would increase the risk of negative reactions, but for most people, there is little to no reason to not vaccinate.
@Mohammed Hayat I seem to remember Dr. Tapping making the comment that the chosen injection site for a vaccination is not simply an arbitrary choice of location but rather an informed decision based on the physiology of the body and science of vaccines. He mentioned something about trying to purposely illicit an immune response for the purpose of activating pathways that build immunity. Perhaps some of the mild side effects people are experiencing are not pleasant, but required for the efficacy of the vaccine. As for the more serious side effects, even if they are attributed to the vaccine, is 1% statistically relevant? And that's assuming that 100% of the serious side effects are because of the vaccine and not a coincidence. It is likely lower than 1%.