There is so much misinformation out there about vaccines, heck, I even came across some on my Facebook feed while working on this. So for starters let’s look the legitimate issues that have prompted some of the hysteria:

Vaccines aren’t 100% safe. There’s just enough risk that the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research has set up the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System to allow for very close and precise tracking and monitoring of adverse reactions. There are also people who can’t get certain vaccines due to allergies to some of the components of the vaccine or delivery system. If you ever look at the consent form before getting a shot, it details the contraindications (legitimate reasons why you shouldn’t get that vaccine) and the potential side effects/reactions. However, most of the adverse reactions aren’t much more than a minor inconvenience and if they are severe then they need to be far less frequent than equal adverse effects from the disease they are to prevent to gain and maintain FDA approval.

They also aren’t 100% effective. Those with compromised immune systems, such as those with immune deficiencies that reduce the body’s ability to produce antibodies, cancer patients, and the very young or the elderly simply cannot gain much, if any, benefit from some or all vaccines. There are also people with healthy immune systems that for some reason do not respond to certain vaccines.

For everybody who isn’t allergic to that particular vaccine and who has a typical immune response, they are highly effective and the risk of an adverse reaction is far lower than the risk of dying from the disease the vaccine is intended to prevent.

The panic out there that vaccines can cause illness or other disorders is based on lies (such as those spread by Andrew Wakefield), a misunderstanding of how vaccines are produced, and in some cases simple bad luck, such as getting a cold around the same time as a vaccine.

In case you aren’t up on the terminology, here’s a few key terms:

• Pathogen – A virus or organism that causes infection.
• Antigens – The markers on pathogens, allergens, and other substances that the immune system identifies as non-self and mounts a response to.
• Immune response – This includes the production of antibodies and killer T cells acquiring memory of the antigen.

Now, let’s look at the different techniques:

• Killed virulent organisms, such as pertussis (whooping cough) – The pathogen is killed, which leaves the antigens intact so the immune system can identify it and produce a response without an infection spreading throughout the body.
• Live non-virulent strains, such as Rubella – A strain of the pathogen that does not cause illness is used to produce an immune response, without causing an infection.
• Modified toxins, such as diphtheria and tetanus – Using heat or chemicals, the toxins are modified so as to not cause symptoms, but still cause an immune response.
• Isolated antigens, such as those from influenza – The antigen is isolated from the pathogen and administered. Thus causing an immune response.
• Genetically engineered antigens (Hepatitis B) – The surface antigen has been isolated and is produced by genetic engineering, thus producing an immune response.

If you want to look at the effectiveness of vaccines, just look at smallpox. By widespread global vaccination using a live less-virulent strain, cowpox, the World Health Organization was able to completely eradicate a disease that once had a mortality rate of 20% – 30% and had frequent global outbreaks. Vaccination also eliminated or nearly eliminated polio, measles, mumps, and whooping cough from the developed world by the 90s.

Then came the anti-vaccination movement and thanks to modern travel a number of diseases have been brought back, such as measles and pertussis, it’s just now there isn’t enough herd immunity to prevent its spread. We’ve also got a pretty major influenza outbreak in the US, all from a strain that’s covered in this year’s flu shot.

This can all be avoided. You can safely stop vaccinating once a disease has been eradicated, like smallpox, but until then we need herd immunity to prevent the spread of preventable illness. I could hardly care less about those with healthy immune systems, so don’t think I want you to get vaccinated to save yourself. It’s for people with immune deficiency disorders, cancer patients, people taking immune-suppressants because of autoimmune disorders or an organ transplant, babies, and the elderly.

People need to stop being paranoid selfish dicks and get their goddamn shots.