France has become one of the countries in the world where vaccine mistrust is the strongest. New immunization schedule for children under 2 years old, which will take effect on January 1, is therefore an opportunity for Inserm scientists to publish a note on scientific knowledge in the field of vaccination.
Vaccines: what scientists are saying
• The 11 vaccines which will be mandatory in France on January 1 protect children against disease 90% or more. Protection is even close to 100% for tetanus, measles, rubella and meningitis caused by Haemophilus influenzae b.
• Side effects (pain, redness, swelling) are usually minor and short-lived. The other side effects attributed to vaccines (suspected link between measles vaccination and autism or link between multiple sclerosis and hepatitis B vaccine) “are scientifically unfounded” say the scientists.
• Infant vaccination, which prevents the multiplication of the pathogen in the vaccinated child, also brings collective benefits because the vaccinated child “prevents those close to them, and in particular those who are not or cannot be vaccinated (newborns, or infants too young to be vaccinated, the elderly, pregnant women, sick or immunocompromised people), from being contaminated”.
• The phenomenon of exhaustion of the immune system, often advanced in the face of combination vaccines, also has no scientific basis. “The stimulation of the immune system induced by a vaccine – even if it is hexavalent – is indeed negligible compared to its response capacities and compared to” daily environmental stimuli “ underlines Inserm.
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