What are Vaccines?

Vaccines help to improve the health of our communities. They prevent people from getting sick and stop the spread of disease. People who are not immunized are left at risk for illness and spreading disease to others who cannot be vaccinated themselves. Vaccines are very safe and effective.

Vaccination Myths

Vaccines cause autism.

• Scientific studies and reviews have found no relationship between vaccines and autism. Groups of experts, including the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Institute of Medicine (IOM), also agree that vaccines are not responsible for the number of children now recognized to have autism.

Vaccines cause many harmful side effects, illnesses, and even death.

• Most side effects from vaccination are minor, short-lived, and treatable, such as soreness at the site of injection or a low-grade fever. Serious reactions are very rare, and have to be weighed against the very real risk of getting a dangerous vaccine-preventable disease.

Vaccine-preventable diseases have been virtually eliminated from the United States.

• Vaccines are responsible for the control of many infectious diseases that were once common in the United States such as polio, measles, and rubella. The viruses and bacteria that cause these diseases still exist and can be passed on to people who are not vaccinated. These diseases could once again become common and deadly if people stop getting vaccines.

Getting multiple vaccinations for different diseases at the same time increases the risk of harmful side effects and can overload the immune system.

• Studies show that our bodies can handle many shots at once. Having several vaccines at once is safe and a combination of vaccines protect you against more than one disease with a single shot.