Many people on social media are sharing an image of a pamphlet that warns against taking vaccines. The pamphlet says, "Why we should not take vaccines." According to the pamphlet, the vaccine is made of harmful chemicals which is detrimental to human health because it destroys the immunity of the body. The pamphlet says that the harmful ingredients present in the vaccines cause more health issues than finding a cure, thus, one should depend on immunity-boosting for healthy life rather than on these vaccines.
The pamphlet is shared by many on Facebook.
Posted by I Support Rajiv Dixit on Wednesday, 7 October 2020
Posted by Rajiv Dixit Videos on Wednesday, 7 October 2020
Claim:
The ingredients present in vaccines are harmful to human health.
Fact Check:
The pamphlet is the combination of both accurate and inaccurate information. Although the ingredients used in vaccines are correctly mentioned in the pamphlets, their side effects on the human body are negligible as mentioned.
According to Vaccine Knowledge Project, most of the ingredients used in manufacturing vaccine is already present in the body. It explains that most vaccines contain salts based on sodium and potassium which are essential for life. According to the site, "All vaccine ingredients are present in very small quantities, and there is no evidence that they cause harm in these amounts. The exception to this is the small number of people who may be severely allergic to a vaccine ingredient, even if it is present only in trace amounts."
Here are some of the ingredients used in the vaccine as mentioned in the pamphlet and their facts:
Aluminium: The pamphlet claims that Aluminium is a neurotoxin, but in fact, aluminium salts help to improve the immune response to vaccines. According to Health Analytics Asia, "Aluminium is one of the most common metals found in nature and is present in the air, food, and water, and many other health products too." The United States Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends the addition of small amounts of aluminium to the vaccine to help the body build stronger immunity against the germ in the vaccine. Aluminium salts are used as food additives, in medicines such as antacids, and in food packaging.
Fetal Bovine Serum: According to the FDA, cow components are often used in manufacturing vaccine as cows are very large animals and thus much material is available. Animal-derived products used in vaccine manufacture can include amino acids, glycerol, detergents, gelatin, enzymes and blood. Cow milk is a source of amino acids, and sugars such as galactose.
Thimerosal: The pamphlet says thimerosal is toxic to humans as it is mercury. While Vaccine Knowledge Project says that Thimerosal (also called Thiomersal) is a mercury-based preservative used in tiny quantities in some vaccines to prevent the growth of bacteria and fungi which can get contaminated from the environment when the vaccine is opened; But according to CDC, Thimerosal used in the vaccine is of very low quantity and it does not stay in the body for a long time so it does not build up and reach harmful levels. When thimerosal enters the body, it breaks down to ethylmercury and thiosalicylate, which are readily eliminated. Thimerosal used in the vaccine has no serious side effects and has a record of being very safe in medical use.
Formaldehyde: According to the pamphlet, formaldehyde is carcinogenic in nature. But even the human body produces and uses formaldehyde as part of the process of metabolism. According to the Vaccine Knowledge Project, "The amount of natural formaldehyde in a 2-month-old infant's blood (around 1.1 milligrams in total) is ten times greater than the amount found in any vaccine (less than 0.1 milligrams)." The site also says that the amount of formaldehyde is 50 times more in a pear than in the coronavirus vaccine. According to Health Analytics Asia, Dr Debanjan Banerjee, a psychiatrist with NIMHANS, Bengaluru said, "It is therefore important to understand many of these ingredients are naturally found in the human body but the amount in vaccines is usually 1/100th to 1/500th."
Polysorbate 80: According to the CDC, Polysorbate 80 is commonly found in the vaccines of influenza as an excipient as it helps other components in vaccines to remain soluble but it is also commonly used in food, cosmetics, and drug formulations as a solubilizer, stabilizer, or emulsifier, according to US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health.
Other chemicals like Urea, Potassium chloride, sodium hydroxide and sodium borate which are mentioned on the pamphlet are present in the vaccine. But these contents are present in the vaccine in a very small amount. According to CDC, "In addition to weakened or killed disease antigens (viruses or bacteria), vaccines contain very small amounts of other ingredients, excipients."
Health Analytics Asia contacted Dr Akshay Jadhav, Pediatrician, Oyster Multispeciality Clinic and Clinical Director, RTWO Healthcare Solutions, Bengaluru, who said, "It looks like the post has been far too stretched to entice others to instantly hate the use of any vaccines."
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