The Claim:
A widely circulating graph claims CDC data proves that the number of reported deaths after the MMR vaccine is about 16 times higher than the number of deaths from measles since the year 2000.
The Facts:
The claims in this graph come from the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System, or VAERS. According to the VAERS website, anyone can file a report about a bad reaction after getting a vaccine. But that doesn’t mean the vaccine actually caused the problem. VAERS is partly run by the CDC, but the CDC only hosts the data—it does not collect or verify it.
When you visit the VAERS website, it warns that “VAERS reports may contain information that is incomplete, inaccurate, coincidental, or unverifiable.” Because of this, scientists must be very careful about how they use VAERS data. The graph itself shows this problem too—it says vaccine deaths are only suspected, not proven. In fact, the reports don’t always mean there is a real link to vaccines at all.
It’s also important to remember why there are so few measles deaths today. Kids get vaccinated, which means they don’t catch measles and don’t die from it. Before the vaccine, about 500 children used to die from measles every year in the United States.
Disclaimer: Science is always evolving and our understanding of these topics may have evolved too since this was originally posted. Be sure to check out our most recent posts and browse the latest Just the Facts Topics for the latest.
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