Information on vaccination has never been more abundant. Now parents are faced with separating fact from fiction.
VACCINES Weighing the risks Vaccines trick the immune system by introducing altered pathogens into the body, which spark the production of antibodies that stand guard against future invasions of the active virus. In Alberta, vaccines are free and accessible at public health clinics, doctors’ offices and some workplaces and pharmacies. Vaccines come in several forms. A live vaccine, such as the measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine, contains a virus that has been weakened so it does not cause illness. A dead vaccine, such as the polio vaccine, contains a virus that has been killed completely. A conjugate vaccine, such as the influenza vaccine, contains only portions of a pathogen that are chemically bound to a protein; the combination instigates a more powerful immune reaction. Side effects of vaccines most commonly include fever and redness or swelling to the injection site—these effects occur in no more than ten percent of vaccines. Anaphylaxis, a potentially life-threatening allergic reaction, occurs in one to ten cases per million doses of administered vaccine. The Canadian government monitors adverse reactions to vaccines through the Canadian Adverse Events Following Immunization Surveillance System (CAEFISS), which receives more than ninety percent of its reports from
provincial and territorial public health officials. CAEFISS data is regularly analyzed to generate more information about who is at risk for developing adverse reactions to vaccination. For most parents, putting their child at any risk can invoke anxiety and fear. When speaking with parents who are apprehensive about the side effects of vaccines, physicians will often present potential adverse reactions alongside the risks of not vaccinating. For instance, while the Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) vaccine may cause a fever higher than 101 degrees Fahrenheit in five percent of cases, the actual virus leads to meningitis fifty to sixty-five percent of the time. Every year, influenza is responsible for a number of deaths in Canada. It’s important to note that family doctors are not infectious disease specialists by training, and more parents are looking outside their relationship with their family practitioner to educate themselves about vaccinations through independent research. Recent controversy about the suggested link between autism and the MMR vaccine has triggered fear among parents on social media, online forums and blogs. Much of this fear has migrated beyond the MMR vaccine to include fear of other vaccines, such as the flu vaccine.
While organic—as opposed to institutional— online spaces are vital community touch points for questioning parents, these communities are also open channels for information that has not been tested against the scientific method. Considering the source has never been more important in parental decision-making.
THE MODERN VACCINE CONTROVERSY From research study to social media In 1998, The Lancet published a research study by British doctor Andrew Wakefield that supported the relationship between the MMR vaccine, intestinal inflammation and the development of autism. Wakefield’s article described twelve children with neurodevelopmental delay (eight with autism) who suffered from intestinal issues and developed autism within one month of receiving the MMR vaccine. The results were highly publicized in the media and in burgeoning online communities. The study, however, had several major flaws. At the time of the study, ninety percent of children in England had received the MMR vaccine, which is usually administered around the time when most children with autism begin to show signs of the condition. Wakefield’s study failed to show a causal relationship—when one variable causes a change in another variable—
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