Vaccine myths that persist and how experts respond

A CIDRAP op-ed examines five more common vaccine myths and reviews extensive research that has refuted links between vaccines and conditions such as autism, SIDS, autoimmune disease, and cancer; it also notes that VAERS is a passive reporting system often misused.

The op-ed is the second part in a series that examines common vaccine myths seen in clinical practice and public discussion. It presents evidence collected over decades and across countries that has tested and repeatedly refuted these claims. The author notes that misinformation spreads quickly and often taps into genuine parental fears. The piece emphasizes that addressing questions with patience and respect is important. Key findings: - The 1998 Wakefield paper linking MMR to autism was retracted and discredited; large studies (for example, a 2002 Danish study of 537,303 children and later studies of 657,461 children and 95,727 sibling groups) found no association between MMR or routine childhood vaccines and autism. - Concerns about thimerosal, vaccine antigen load, and aluminum have been tested and not shown to cause autism; the Institute of Medicine (2004) and the World Health Organization reached similar conclusions. - The Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) is a passive surveillance tool that accepts unverified reports and cannot by itself establish causation; VAERS data have been routinely misused to claim vaccine-caused deaths. - Reviews and epidemiologic studies have found no consistent links between routine vaccines and SIDS, autoimmune diseases, or childhood cancers attributable to past vaccine contamination; studies of the 1955–1963 polio vaccine contamination found no increased cancer risk attributable to SV40. - mRNA vaccines do not alter DNA or integrate into the genome, and cancer registries have not detected unusual patterns after vaccination; injectable influenza vaccines contain inactivated virus and cannot cause influenza, and broader evidence documents substantial reductions in illness and hospitalizations attributed to vaccination. Summary: The op-ed concludes that many persistent vaccine myths have been repeatedly tested and not supported by the accumulated scientific evidence, and that these myths often persist because they align with natural parental concerns and exploit gaps in public understanding. Undetermined at this time.