The Claim:
A leaked video between two presidential candidates makes claims that vaccines given to children are so large that they could be given to horses and that they contain 38 vaccines in one injection.
The Facts:
Many of the vaccines given to babies contain about 0.5mL per dose. (Hep B, DTaP, MMR, etc). The influenza vaccine contains between .25mL and .5mL for those up to 3 years old, 0.5mL for those older than 3, and 0.7mL for those receiving the high-dose version. If you measured out a 0.5 mL dose in a teaspoon, it would only be 1/10 of a teaspoon.
But to be fair, the horse influenza vaccine contains a dose of 1.0mL, so when you’re looking at quantities that small (1mL is about 20 drops), it’s hard to see that humans do not receive the same amount.
There are several combination vaccines available; however, 38 is a bit of a wild claim, considering there are only 19 diseases we protect against on the schedule. The vaccine with the most diseases protected against is Vaxalis, which protects against six diseases (Diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, hepatitis B, and Hib).
Children today receive far less antigen to protect against more diseases than kids even 30 years ago when the vaccine schedule used 3,000 antigens to protect against 8 diseases by age two. Today, the vaccine schedule uses 305 antigens to protect against 14 diseases in the same timeframe.
To put this in perspective, children fight off 2,000-6,000 antigens every day just by eating, breathing, and playing.
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Glossary words on this page
- Antigen
- Foreign substance (e.g., bacterium or virus) that is capable of causing an immune response in the body.
- Combination vaccine
- Combination vaccines take two or more vaccines that could be given individually and put them into one shot or oral dose.
- Diphtheria
- A highly contagious and sometimes fatal bacterial disease that causes mucous membrane inflammation, making breathing and swallowing difficult.
- Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib)
- A bacterium that may result in severe respiratory infections, including pneumonia and other diseases such as meningitis.
- Hepatitis B
- Hepatitis B is a serious liver infection passed person-to-person through blood and other bodily fluids.
- Influenza
- Influenza (more commonly known as the flu) is a highly contagious viral illness that is spread person-to-person through sneezes and coughs.
- Pertussis (whooping cough)
- Pertussis, or Whooping Cough, is a bacterial infection that causes violent, uncontrollable coughing and difficulty breathing.
- Poliomyelitis (polio)
- Poliomyelitis (polio) is a viral infection that is spread person-to-person through the fecal-oral route.
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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