Vaccines: What You Really Need to Know

The first vaccine created was for smallpox in the late 1700s. In the two centuries following many vaccines have been developed to prevent life-threatening diseases, and decrease human suffering. However, there are still many misconceptions about them. These misconceptions have led to a decrease in the use of vaccines, leading to the reemergence of diseases that were once nearly eradicated from first world countries. In this paper we will address ten common misconceptions held by the public in the United States, and present a review of the literature to either support or reject these beliefs.