Fact or Fiction? Vaccines
An epidemiologist lets us know whether five common beliefs about vaccines are true or false
Dec 12, 2022
Your Health
Jaimie Seaton
Jaimie has been a journalist and writer for more than 25 years and has lived and worked all over the world. She began her career in Washington, DC, in the press office of the Clinton/Gore Presidential Transition and then went on to the DC bureau of the Sunday Times of London. From there, Jaimie moved to Johannesburg, where she reported for the Sunday Times of London, Newsweek and Independent News & Media — the largest local newspaper group in the country. She was also the founding editor of Africa Focus, a mining journal covering sub-Saharan Africa.
Jaimie’s work has appeared in a wide variety of publications including The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, Newsweek, Business Insider, New York Magazine, Marie Claire, Glamour and O, The Oprah Magazine.
Jaimie is the mother of two children and lives in New Hampshire. When she's not working, Jaimie enjoys taking long walks with her dog Bailey while listening to books.
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Medically Reviewed
When it comes to vaccines, there’s a lot of misinformation out there. To clear up any confusion, we gave Debra Furr-Holden, Ph.D. five common beliefs and asked her to let us know if they’re true or false. Furr-Holden is an epidemiologist, dean of NYU’s School of Global Public Health and a member of HealthyWomen’s Women’s Health Advisory Council.
1. Natural immunity is better than vaccine-acquired immunity.
Fact
Fiction
Fiction. Vaccines remain our best option to lower the likelihood of infection, severe illness, hospitalization or death from many common illnesses. While the immunity you get from being infected (natural immunity) does provide some protection from future illness, our goal is to reduce the chances of people getting sick or dying from a disease where we have a safe and effective vaccine.
2. Some vaccines require boosters.
Fact
Fiction
Fact. The immunity from many vaccines requires periodic boosters to maintain vaccine effectiveness. We continue to learn more each day about how frequently those boosters will be needed, as well as who is most in need of boosters and the appropriate time intervals to provide them for each vaccine. For example, the smallpox vaccine provides protection for 20-30 years, but the tetanus vaccine only provides protection for 10 years.
3. Better hygiene and sanitation work together with vaccines to reduce infections.
Fact
Fiction
Fact. Keeping ourselves, our hands and our spaces clean reduces the chances that viral particles released into the air and living on surfaces that we come in contact with will enter our bodies. Our hands and cellphones, for example, are surfaces that can transfer the virus from the outside world into our bodies.
4. Pregnant women should not get vaccinated.
Fact
Fiction
Fiction. Most vaccines have been identified as safe and effective for pregnant women by two of the nation’s foremost authorities on the health of pregnant women: the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine.
Ask your healthcare provider, who can give you the best information about what vaccines you should get if you’re pregnant and the timing of those vaccines.
5. A vaccine that is rolled out quickly is not safe.
Fact
Fiction
Fiction. All vaccines go through a rigorous process of clinical trials, testing and approval or emergency use authorization by the FDA, no matter what technology is behind the vaccine development.
The Pfizer and Moderna Covid-19 vaccines were created using mRNA vaccine technology. Unlike more conventional viral-based vaccines, mRNA vaccines do not require animal cells to produce them. This allowed vaccine developers to produce a safe and effective life-saving vaccine in a fraction of the time without skipping any of the necessary steps.
This resource was created with support from Merck.
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