In a recent poll by KFF they found that
“1 in 6 parents say they have skipped or delayed a vaccine for their child” (5),
but why? Most parents said their reasoning was “concern about side effects, lack
of trust in vaccine safety, and that vaccines aren’t necessary” (5). This is a time-tested
method of prevention, and we’ve been able to eradicate so many diseases due to
vaccines. So why turn away now? The hard reality is there is so much
misinformation being spread everyday by individuals on social media or people
in our own government who aren’t experienced health professionals.
Vaccine
Development and Success Story
The process of creating a vaccine
can take up to 10-15 years. The process can be divided into 4 phases:
discovery, clinical studies/trials, FDA review, ACIP review, and post approval
monitoring and research. This process consists of thousands of participants
during the clinical phase to study safety and effectiveness. Even after a
vaccine is approved there is still continuous monitoring to track rare reactions.
(2)
 |
A diagram from the CDC showing the vaccine development process (2) |
An important vaccine is the vaccine that prevents measles. It has eradicated the cases of illness, but in recent years we’ve seen a resurgence due to the lack of parents vaccinating their children against it (3). Measles is an extremely infectious virus that lingers in the air much longer than other respiratory viruses. If left untreated it can lead to major complications such pneumonia, encephalitis, and even death (3). The measles vaccine was created in 1963 by Dr. John Enders, and by the year 2000 measles was considered eradicated in the United States. In the past few years with vaccination rates dropping this has changed. As of September 17, 2025, there have been 1,491 confirmed cases in the United States (3). As seen in the graph below, measles cases are hitting a new high in 2025. (9)
 |
A
graph from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Depicting raising
cases of measles in 2025 as compared to previous years. (9) |
Fact vs. Fiction
One of the most popular myths being
perpetuated today is “vaccines cause autism”, which is false. Although the
exact cause of autism is still unknown, this theory has been disproven time and
time again and many articles that stated this have since been retracted. The
original 1998 paper by Andrew Wakefield that stated that the MMR vaccine causes
autism was retracted due to false data (6). Autism Spectrum Disorder is defined
as “challenges with social communication skills and repetitive or restricted
behavior/thinking” (1). There are varying severities to autism from needing
some support to requiring substantial support. In a study done by Taylor et al.
where they observed the relationship between vaccine administration and development
of autism, they found no link between the vaccine and autism. (7)
Another misconception also often heard
is “natural immunity is better.”. Our bodies have two
types of immunity: innate and adaptive. Innate immunity is present at birth.
Adaptive immunity on the other hand is built over time with exposure. A vaccine
safely exposes an individual to weakened or inactive parts of a virus (2).
Since the immune system has already been exposed to the virus it will be able
to recognize and fight off the real disease in the future with lower risks of complication,
hospitalization, and death that may come with certain illnesses.
Of course, with any vaccine or
medication comes risks. Although, side effects vary from vaccine to vaccine
some common ones are soreness, swelling at the site of injection, fever, and
headache. In rare cases some vaccines like the MMR (Measles, Mumps, and
Rubella) can cause seizures due to fever (4). Serious side effects like seizures
are extremely rare and affect 1 in 3,000 to 4,000 children. On the other hand,
1 out 5 unvaccinated individuals that get infected with Measles will be
hospitalized. The numbers really do speak for themselves.
Conclusion
Parents, I understand the hesitation,
whether it’s concern about side effects, distrust in pharmaceutical companies
or government agencies. Your fears are understandable, but we have to put that
aside and look at the overwhelming evidence. Vaccines are safe and effect. Vaccine
do have mild side effects like any other medication and serious reactions are
extremely rare. On the other hand, when unvaccinated the risk of serious
complication from certain illnesses is far greater. Vaccines not only protect
your children, but the elderly, infants and those who may be immunocompromised.
Misinformation spreads quickly, create an open conversation and seek
out all the important information you’d like, but please choose trusted sources.
Listen to people who have dedicated years of their lives to medicine,
preventing, and health illnesses.
By
Muznah Khalid, Master of Medical Sciences Student at the University of Kentucky
References
1.
Autism Spectrum
Disorder (ASD). autismspeaks.org. (n.d.).https://www.autismspeaks.org/what-autism
2.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2024, August 10). How Vaccines are Developed and Approved for Use. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/basics/how-developed-approved.html
3.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2025, September 17). Measles Cases and Outbreaks. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/measles/data-research/index.html
4.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d.). Possible Side effects from Vaccines. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/basics/possible-side-effects.html
5.
Kffrainl. (2025, September 15). New
KFF-Washington Post Survey explores parents’ trust in, and confusion about,
childhood vaccines as the Trump administration revamps federal policies. KFF. https://www.kff.org/public-opinion/new-kff-washington-post-survey-explores-parents-trust-in-and-confusion-about-childhood-vaccines-as-the-trump-administration-revamps-federal-policies/
6. Rao TS, Andrade C. The MMR vaccine and autism: Sensation,
refutation, retraction, and fraud. Indian J Psychiatry. 2011 Apr;53(2):95-6.
doi: 10.4103/0019-5545.82529. PMID: 21772639; PMCID: PMC3136032.
7. Taylor LE, Swerdfeger AL, Eslick GD. Vaccines are not
associated with autism: an evidence-based meta-analysis of case-control and
cohort studies. Vaccine. 2014 Jun 17;32(29):3623-9. doi:
10.1016/j.vaccine.2014.04.085. Epub 2014 May 9. PMID: 24814559.
8. Patja A, Davidkin I, Kurki T, Kallio MJ, Valle M, Peltola
H. Serious adverse events after measles-mumps-rubella vaccination during a
fourteen-year prospective follow-up. Pediatr Infect Dis J. 2000
Dec;19(12):1127-34. Doi: 10.1097/00006454-200012000-00002. PMID: 11144371.
9.
U.S. Measles Cases Hit Highest Level Since Declared Eliminated in 2000.
International Vaccine Access Center. (2025, July 7). https://publichealth.jhu.edu/ivac/2025/us-measles-cases-hit-highest-level-since-declared-eliminated-in-2000
Hi Muznah,
ReplyDeleteI think this is a really relevant topic, especially given today’s political climate. Working in the medical field, it’s hard for me to imagine that some people still distrust the effectiveness of vaccines, particularly those who believe vaccines can cause autism. Autism isn’t a disease, and its causes are complex and not yet fully understood, possibly involving both genetic and environmental factors. I’m really glad that you directed this post towards parents because now more than ever, it’s so important for them to have their children vaccinated. It’s also becoming increasingly important for family physicians to educate their patients, especially given how much misinformation exists about vaccine side effects and effectiveness, as you pointed out.
Hi Muznah,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your article. This is such a relevant topic in todays world and it is really controversial. I like how you included a graph on how measles is on the rise again I feel that this is really eye opening. Your conclusion really stuck out to me where you addressed it to parents, and I agree these are important things to know. While there may be mild side effects to specific vaccines, it is better to go through these effects rather than deal with the difficulties of the disease or infection. The main one that comes to my mind is the shingles vaccine, it is better to get vaccinated and deal with any side effects, as the outcome of this infection is unimaginable.
Muznah,
ReplyDeleteI really liked your post about vaccines given the current situation in the U.S. Like you, I believe vaccines are important to help eradicate diseases such as measles, and it's incredibly sad how misinformation in the topic is affecting us nowadays. As an international student sometimes I can't comprehend how people are influenced so easily in the U.S., especially with so many trusted resources available with information. I really hope that in the coming years people start believing in science a little bit more and we can go back to trusting vaccines.
Hi Muznah,
ReplyDeleteI really love this post because it is something that is unfortunately a very prevalent topic in the world today. I think the first step to solving this issue is to have true scientific information circulating instead of misinformation that is easily spread through social media. Being from a rural area, this is a problem that I've often seen in my community. People are uneducated about the long process to get a vaccine approved and are often skeptical to get their children vaccinated. I also like that you included data and graphs on the measles resurgence to show that lack of vaccination is causing a once eradicated disease to return. Thank you for doing your part to educate others and, most importantly, parents.
With how controversial this subject is, I think you addressed it very well. It is of course understandable, as you said, for parents to be concerned for their children’s wellbeing and not trust the pharmaceutical industry. However providing the insight that that the literature claiming that vaccines cause autism was retracted due to false data and that it has also been disproven is valuable information for parents. I also thought the comparison between the risk of severe side effects of vaccines and the risk of being unvaccinated was a great illustration of why it is important for parents to vaccinate their kids. Informative articles like this and conversations with providers are great steps to ease parents’ concerns.
ReplyDeleteHi Muznah! I found your post to be very powerful and informative. I really liked how you broke down the vaccine development process step-by-step. It made the timeline and safety measures much clearer for people, like me, who may not understand how rigorous the testing really is. I also appreciated how you addressed common myths, like the "vaccines cause autism" claim and clearly explained where that misinformation came from and why it's false. I think it's important to think about how we can rebuild public trust in vaccines, especially among parents who are hesitant or exposed to misinformation online.
ReplyDeleteHi Muznah! I feel like this is a very relevant topic and a good one to spread awareness on. I feel like parents do definitely get a lot of misinformation from many platforms and believe it as true with educating themselves from reliable sources. It is important that parents choose a provider that their interests align with and trust in what their physician is saying and not other, maybe inaccurate, sources. I liked how you provided a specific example of this with the measles because that is very crazy and disappointing event. I love how in your piece you provide a point and then follow with evidence, it makes your piece very effective in conveying your points, overall this is a really good blog!
ReplyDeleteHi Muznah! This is really great post - I think it addresses a lot of the big concerns around vaccines and the serious consequences that can occur when people are not vaccinated. I agree with you and others in the comments about how social media and the current political climate has pushed a very powerful "anti-science" climate. It is very worrisome to see so many people willfully risk the lives of their children and others just because a social media guru said so. I also consider the larger effects this mindset is having on topics beyond vaccine safety. The antagonism toward science has detrimental impacts on how we view individuals with disabilities; in that society has moved beyond inclusivity to treating disabled people as a problem to be solved and cured. I also feel the impact in my own lab as funding continues to be diverted away from important research and policies about what research is "allowed" continues to change. I appreciate how you encourage people to look toward the scientists, doctor, and those that have dedicated their careers to disease prevention and health!
ReplyDeleteHello Muznah! I think its great to address a controversial topics such as declining immunizations. I also really liked the timeline of the vaccination journey, as most people don't realize how much research and trials goes into developing an immunization. I can understand the hesitation seeing side effects and talk about possibly developing autism, but the effects of contracting a disease would outweigh these side effects. Also, developing a herd immunity to a deadly disease brings a vaccination to its maximum effect. I think building more trust around vaccinations as a whole is important to help irradicate diseases that we we wouldn't have to dedicate as much effort to help fight if more trust was built.
ReplyDeleteHey Munzah! This was a great post about a topic that has become very relevant in recent years. It is important for people to know all the work that goes into vaccines and their development. Presenting the timeline and process of how a vaccine is made is a good way of showing people that professionals do everything in their power to make sure they are as safe as possible. As you mentioned, side effects are unfortunately possible, though these shouldn't deter anyone from getting a vaccine, as the alternative can be much worse. Like you said, misinformation is ever present, and the examples you provided of autism and natural immunity are representative of that. I like how you directly addressed parents as they are the most likely to be skeptical because they want to keep their children safe.
ReplyDeleteHi Muznah! I really enjoyed your post and thought it was incredibly informative on a topic that has a lot of misinformation surrounding it. With the increased use of social media, it is very difficult determining what is true and what is not. This spreads fear to families that just want what's best for their children. I liked that you targeted your post to parents because that is truly who is making most of these vaccination decisions. I also liked that you did not shame parents who are hesitant about giving their children vaccines. You approached it by laying out the facts and telling them to seek out a trusted health professional to learn more.
ReplyDeleteHello Muznah! This post was very well done. you addressed all of the major concerns that parents and other people may have with vaccines and provided the evidence for the safety and effectiveness of vaccines very clearly. This is such a controversial topic (which is silly) that you handled very well. The media has caused a lot of real issues with the vaccine space, and it is frustrating to see parents choose to not vaccinate their children due to misinformation. Posts like these accurately describe why vaccines work, and it was very enjoyable to read. I really hope to see things like measles fully eradicated again in the future.
ReplyDeleteMuznah,
ReplyDeletethis was a very dividing topic, and a hard one navigate! i think you tackled it well and effectively presented facts, not feelings! i agree misinformation is a pandemic!
I had no idea so many years went into vaccination testing before it hit the market. this makes me curious on how we got the COVID vaccine so quickly and all the things that played into its expedition!
It is sad to see people repeat fatal mistakes because of their fear of not knowing what to do, whether it be not being educated on the subject or simply not wanting to face the facts, there is a trivial upset with real consequences in the vaccine world. great examination of facts and presentation of the truth!
Muznah,
ReplyDeleteWhat a great topic choice. There are many people who might stray away from such a controversial topic, but I love how you approached the issue here. Your stress on the issue of misinformation is one of the key points of your post, and one of my favorites. I also was unaware that measles cases have been on the rise recently, which is shocking, but after reading your post, not entirely surprising. I thought it was a very strong angle to take with addressing the process of introducing a new vaccine - especially because not many people are aware of the steps needed and the safety measures in place. I truly believe that with more pieces such as yours, we could really turn the tide on this growing opposition to vaccines. You are entirely right, vaccines are very important and can save lives, but the ideas surrounding them today inhibit their beneficial aspects. I hope you continue to write about topics such as this, because this was extremely compelling and informative. Great work!
Muznah, this is a well written blog post. You effectively broke down the topic of vaccines from how the clinical trials and approval go to even explain the mechanism. This is a very challenging topic going on in our society. This stems from, as you talked about, the amount of misinformation that goes around. There are so many social media doctors that will read one article and then immediately assume to be experts. It is a scary thing to see so many of these disease starting to recirculate. I know from some of my clinically shadowing experiences I've seen firsthand physicians trying to explain the importance of getting a vaccine. It is important to spread the awareness for doing your own diligence research and to push for safe vaccines. I enjoyed reading this article and the complexity of this topic. It challenges me to stay update on the news of vaccines as I move toward to becoming a physician myself.
ReplyDeleteMuznah, you navigated this topic with professionalism and delicacy. You presented good examples that provide structure to your piece. The blog's language definitely spoke to individuals who may not have a medical background; that is an important skill to have and demonstrate in writing! Well done. Your word choice was casual but professional. You spoke in an informative tone, without intense emotion that would distract from the article's goal.
ReplyDeleteMuznah, this is really well-written and extremely compelling. This was a great choice of topic, and you addressed the major anti-vax concerns with evidence and reasoning in a logical, persuasive way. The topics of social media and distrust in the government are particularly interesting and seem to correlate with the rise in cases of vaccine-preventable diseases we've seen over the years. As social media has been popularized and used more as a medium for news, the political atmosphere has grown increasingly polarizing, and subsequent distrust has grown in the government. I would also be really curious about the specific effects of the covid vaccine in relation to these two topics and anti-vax sentiments. Because the covid vaccine was released so quickly and during an election year, I think there was a lot of anti-vaccine sentiment surrounding that vaccine that was largely propagated by social media. I can't help but wonder if that has led to anti-vaccine ideology concerning other vaccines that have proven efficacy, like the measles vaccine. I think we definitely need to continue reinforcing the safety and efficacy of vaccines in preventing disease. Great job on this blog post- you really got me thinking!
ReplyDeleteHello Muznah!
ReplyDeleteThis was definitely a pertinent topic choice! Unfortunately, as with many other things in medicine, fear of the unknown or fear of things not understood has led to people getting in the way of their own health, as well as their children's. I think the addition of statistics on serious reaction prevalence (1 in 3,000 to 4,000) compared to risk of hospitalization for unvaccinated individuals who contract measles (1 in 5) was a very smart choice. It lends both credibility and emotional appeal to your claim to have the vaccination risk so clearly diminished next to a prominent disease risk when unvaccinated. You mentioned misinformation being spread quickly by non-medical professionals, and the MMR vaccine seems to be a prime target. Parental objection to the MMR vaccine, from what I have read and been told by those against this vaccine, comes largely from the fact that one of the ingredients is egg protein. The concern is that the child may have a serious allergic reaction to the egg component in the vaccine, despite the fact the amount is so miniscule it has been proven safe in those with severe egg allergies. Unfortunately, online anti-vaccine promotors are keen to play into the fears of parents and claim that while studies declare the egg component safe, it may be a ploy to sell more vaccines, or that the vaccine should be avoided because pharmaceutical companies are downplaying the severity of the allergic reactions to the vaccine. You were spot on when you said that a primary motivator of anti-vaccine sentiment is distrust in pharmaceutical companies and government organizations. You did a really great job with this, and I am in total agreement that vaccination advice should come from those who have spent their lives in the medical field. Online influencers should never count as a "trusted" source.
Muznah, this was a really great topic. You addressed the anti-vaccination point of view with powerful scientific evidence and real numbers using the measles data. I too agree, that this is a very important issue especially in places like the country where there is less education on how vaccines work and how hey help fight and protect against viruses. I really liked how your blog was directed towards parents and think more information like this should be posted on social media and various other sites to enlighten the people about what vaccines really do.
ReplyDeleteHi Muznah!
ReplyDeleteYou did a great job on the blog post!! Working in a pharmacy I hear people’s opinions on vaccines very frequently. Many people have quite strong opinions on vaccines and from my personal experience, many people like to tell people their beliefs. I really liked the fact vs fiction section where you addressed the most common vaccine questions.
Hi Muznah!
ReplyDeleteThis is a powerful and necessary topic that nicely addresses the crisis of vaccine hesitancy. Your focus on the rigorous 10-15 year vaccine development process and the subsequent continuous monitoring is crucial for restoring public trust. The data you present, especially the rise in measles cases directly correlated with dropping vaccination rates, illustrates the dangers of neglecting time-tested prevention methods. Clearly refuting persistent myths, such as the repeatedly disproven link between vaccines and autism, is vital. Ultimately, the rare risk of a vaccine side effect is far less in comparison to the far greater risk of hospitalization and serious complication caused by the diseases themselves. We must prioritize trusted sources and listen to the counsel of dedicated health professionals to protect not just our children, but the most vulnerable members of our communities.
Hi Muznah!
ReplyDeleteI really liked how you directed this post towards parents as they are the ones most at risk of falling prey to the many false narratives going around today. I think the way you broke down the process for vaccines was really informative, especially since it is something that a lot of people don't understand. I also really appreciated the Fact vs. Fiction section. It did a great job of explaining some popular misconceptions circulating today in a way that was informative without coming across as judgmental of those that have previously believed them. Overall, really well done!