Do childhood vaccines have any benefit?

A new video and blog post claim that routine childhood vaccines have very few benefits.

The blog post has too much information to debunk all of it, which is a poor faith rhetorical device known as the Gish Gallop. So we’ll take a couple and address those.

First, under the heading “Disease Risk,” they claim that “very few of the diseases in [the childhood schedule] have both a significant likelihood that you will get them and a significant likelihood that they will develop into a severe condition. Many of the diseases believed to fall into this category are no longer an issue in the United States (e.g., polio or smallpox).”

Of course, smallpox was eradicated and polio was eliminated because of vaccines. But that doesn’t mean that diseases that we have forgotten cannot crop up, as recent measles outbreaks and even polio in the U.S. prove.

It also claims that “childhood infections are often critical for helping the immune system develop,” which is untrue. Some diseases, such as influenza and mononucleosis, can weaken your immune system, and measles can cause immune amnesia. Additionally, vaccines work by stimulating your immune system, much like pathogens do, but without causing illness.

Another claim is that vaccine makers cut corners to save money because they aren’t liable for their products. This claim is a misunderstanding of the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act, which protects vaccine makers from being sued if a vaccine causes injuries or death as long as the side effects are unavoidable *and the vaccine is made and labeled correctly.” People could still sue vaccine makers for injuries that happen because of cut corners.

It’s important to remember that we protect children against these illnesses because they are terrible, and children deserve protection. Just as this recent article about what it is like to survive a measles infection shows us.

Learn more about common social media debate tactics like the Gish Gallop in our Family Advocacy toolkit and get the facts on childhood vaccines in the Vaccines section of our website.