Vaccine myths persist and experts review the evidence

The op‑ed describes clinicians encountering parents influenced by online misinformation and notes recent policy shifts in U.S. immunization guidance; it also summarizes decades of trials and large studies that the author says find no link between vaccine ingredients or schedules and conditions like autism.

Physicians report parents arriving with detailed concerns shaped by social media, podcasts, and personal networks. The op‑ed notes recent policy changes, saying the head of the Department of Health and Human Services reduced the childhood immunization schedule by about one‑third and that the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices reversed long‑standing recommendations without presenting new safety data. The author also reports that measles has returned to levels not seen since it was declared eliminated in 2000. The piece reviews trial evidence and large observational studies addressing common safety claims. Key points: - The op‑ed notes clinicians are seeing common myths that borrow scientific language but, the author says, rest on misunderstandings of trial design and evidence. - The article states recent administrative changes to U.S. immunization guidance and a reported reversal by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices; it also reports a return of measles to higher levels. - The author cites randomized trials and large population studies (including multi‑hundred‑thousand and million‑plus analyses) as evidence that placebos, vaccinated-versus-unvaccinated comparisons, and aluminum or thimerosal exposure have not been shown to increase risks like autism in these studies. - The op‑ed highlights that modern vaccine antigen load is substantially lower than in older vaccines, and that many vaccines do not contain aluminum or other ingredients cited in common concerns. Summary: Misinformation is described as complicating clinical conversations and public understanding, while the author presents trial and observational evidence to counter several persistent vaccine myths. Undetermined at this time.