Vaccine Myths vs Facts

There’s a lot of vaccine information out there and not all of it is accurate. Your Pennsylvania physicians are here to help you sort through common questions and concerns with clear, evidence-based answers grounded in trusted medical sources. Explore the questions below to separate myths from facts and get the information you need to make informed decisions about you and your family's health.

Common Questions. Clear Answers.

Physicians “push” vaccines because they are getting kickbacks from pharmaceutical companies and insurers.
Physicians administer vaccines based on the evidence-based vaccination schedules, recommended by organizations like the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Some insurers may offer financial incentives to physicians for reducing health care costs; however, the incentives are based on physicians performing a comprehensive list of preventive services aimed at preventing illnesses and keeping patients healthy and out of the hospital and improving overall patient outcomes.

In addition, the Physician Payments Sunshine Act requires applicable manufacturers of drugs, devices, biologicals, or medical supplies to annually report to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services certain payments or other transfers of value made to physicians and teaching hospitals. This data is available to the public.
There is a link between the MMR vaccine and autism

This large U.S. study found no association between MMR vaccination before age 2 and childhood autism. Click here to learn more.
Vaccines contain harmful ingredients and they aren't adequately researched.

Any substance can be harmful in significantly high doses, even water. Vaccines go through a rigorous approval process with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) just as over-the-counter and prescription drugs do.

The FDA requires that vaccines undergo an extensive development program in the laboratory, as well as in animal studies and human clinical trials, to determine their safety and effectiveness. Highly trained FDA scientists and clinicians carefully evaluate all of the information and make a determination whether to license (approve) a vaccine before it can be used in the U.S. Prior to licensure, as part of the FDA’s evaluation, it takes all of the ingredients of a vaccine into account, including the active ingredients as well as other substances. After the FDA approves a vaccine, it continuously monitors its safety.

There have been concerns raised about some vaccine ingredients such as aluminum. However, using this as an example, aluminum is also found in drinking water, fruits and vegetables, flour, cereals, nuts, dairy products, honey, antacids, buffered aspirin, antiperspirants, and more.

Sources:
https://www.fda.gov/vaccines-blood-biologics/development-approval-process-cber/vaccine-development-101

https://www.chop.edu/centers-programs/vaccine-education-center/vaccine-ingredients/aluminum

https://www.fda.gov/vaccines-blood-biologics/safety-availability-biologics/common-ingredients-us-licensed-vaccines
https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/basics/?CDC_AAref_Val=https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vac-gen/additives.htm
The number of recommended vaccines has tripled since the mid-80s.

The American Academy of Pediatrics currently recommends 15 vaccines for children birth through age 18. Of those, eight were approved between 1987 and 2006. From 1995 to 2010 four new vaccines were added with four updates to previously recommended vaccines. Annual updates to both the childhood and adult immunization schedules offer guidance to health care providers.
Sources:
Birth Through Age 18 Immunization Schedule
Vaccine History: Developments by Year
Herd immunity isn’t a real thing.

Herd immunity, also known as community immunity, is very real. It protects everyone, but is especially important because some people can’t get vaccinated against certain diseases — such as infants and those with weakened or failing immune systems. If a large portion of the population is immune to those diseases, ideally through vaccination, it is unlikely those diseases can spread.
See how herd immunity works: https://www.historyofvaccines.org/content/herd-immunity-0
Source: 
https://www.vaccines.gov/basics/work/protection
You can get the disease from the vaccine.

It is extremely unlikely for a vaccine to cause the disease it is designed to prevent. Many vaccines are inactivated, meaning they contain killed viruses that cannot cause illness. New vaccines are often recombinant vaccines. They do not contain the whole virus. They only contain small parts of the virus that elicits an immune response
There are vaccines contain weakened live viruses and these vaccines may cause mild symptoms, such as the minor rash that occasionally occurs after the chickenpox vaccine. These symptoms do not mean the person has developed a full case of the disease.
One historical exception was the oral polio vaccine, which could very rarely cause polio. However, this vaccine is no longer used in the United States. The polio vaccine which is currently used in the United States is a killed vaccine and never causes a polio infection.
https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/basics/explaining-how-vaccines-work.html
Vaccine preventable diseases have been virtually eliminated.

Vaccine preventable diseases have been virtually eliminated. Some vaccine-preventable diseases, like pertussis (whooping cough) and chickenpox, are still present in the US. The main reason that there are so few cases of the other vaccine-preventable diseases in the US is due to vaccines. People becoming vaccinated helped to stop the spread of disease. However, vaccine preventable diseases are still quite prevalent in other countries. Travelers can unknowingly bring these diseases into the US, and if the community is unprotected, the diseases could quickly spread causing outbreaks or epidemics. The relatively few cases that the US may currently have could very quickly become tens or hundreds of thousands of cases without the protection given by vaccines. With adequate vaccination rates, most of these types of outbreaks can be prevented. But if vaccination rates drop, “imported” cases of preventable diseases can begin to spread again.
Sources:
About Vaccines for your Children
Vaccines 101: Misconceptions About Vaccines

Trusted Vaccine Resources

Looking for more information? Explore vaccine guidance and resources from trusted medical and public health organizations.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Vaccine information, schedules, safety guidance and information about vaccine-preventable diseases. Visit CDC

U.S. Food & Drug Administration Learn how vaccines are developed, evaluated, approved and monitored for safety. Visit FDA

American Academy of Pediatrics Vaccine information and guidance designed for parents, children and families. Visit HealthyChildren.org

Pennsylvania Department of Health Pennsylvania-specific vaccination guidance, disease information and public health updates. Visit PA Department of Health

Disclaimer: The information provided in this Q&A is based on source material that was pulled from the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention and the PA Department of Health. It was verified for accuracy as of September 2026. Please note that medical knowledge and guidelines are constantly evolving, and it’s always best to consult directly with a healthcare professional for the most up-to-date advice.

Vaccine Myths vs Facts

Common Questions. Clear Answers.

There is a link between the MMR vaccine and autism This large U.S. study found no association between MMR vaccination before age 2 and childhood autism. Click here to learn more.

Trusted Vaccine Resources

Answers to Your Biggest Vaccine Questions in Under 2 Minutes from PA Physicians :

There is a link between the MMR vaccine and autism

This large U.S. study found no association between MMR vaccination before age 2 and childhood autism. Click here to learn more.