Busted! 5 Myths About Vaccines

August is National Immunization Awareness Month.Remember the Great Polio Scare of 2025?Of course you don’t! Thanks to vaccines, the deadly poliovirus was eliminated in the U.S. in 1979.Vaccines are like the Superwoman of modern medicine: They prevent serious diseases and illnesses, protect society through herd immunity and save countless lives.But heavy is the vax that wears the crown. Like the deadly viruses vaccines protect us from, misinformation is contagious and myths about vaccines seem to have staying power. Between public mistrust in health and pharmaceutical companies and false information on social media — it can be hard to know who to trust and what facts are real.So, let’s set the record straight with science. Here are 5 common falsehoods about vaccines and the facts you need to know.1. “Vaccines cause autism.”There is no scientific evidence linking vaccines to autism.The misinformation can be tied in part to a 1998 British study that suggested a possible link between the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine and autism. The study was later retracted by The Lancet in 2011 after the lead researcher admitted “several elements” in the paper were incorrect, and he was fo...