By: Varun Kumar
August 13 2021
Vaccines are the means of providing active acquired immunity against diseases.
Vaccines are the means of providing active acquired immunity against diseases.A conspiracy theory about vaccines has circulated on social media claimed that vaccines are a means of population control; however, this is false. Vaccines reduce the risks of getting a disease by working with the body's natural defenses to build protection. When someone gets a vaccine, their immune system responds. World Health Organization stated that vaccines prevent more than 20 life-threatening diseases, helping people of all ages live longer, healthier lives. Immunization currently prevents 2-3 million deaths from diseases like diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, influenza, and measles every year. Johns Hopkins University stated that COVID-19 vaccines are safe. It said that millions of people in the United States are safely immunized in recent months. The Food Drug Administration (FDA) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) continue to closely monitor each of the authorized COVID-19 vaccines for safety concerns. Clinical trials are conducted on all vaccines to ensure their safety and effectiveness. All vaccines go through clinical trials to test their safety and effectiveness. For a COVID-19 vaccine, the FDA set high safety standards for vaccine developers to meet. Once a vaccine has received an Emergency use Authorization and is being administered to people, the FDA and the CDC monitor the situation to ensure that no problems arise closely. Data on the vaccine's safety record accumulates over time as more people who receive it report their experience and side effects. According to the National Institutes of Health, the FDA establishes guidelines for the four stages of clinical research for researchers to learn about the effects of new therapies while keeping volunteers safe. As a result, trials of new vaccines to protect against infection are included. Vaccines are constantly tested on adults first. The peer-reviewed journal PLOS One stated that a multidisciplinary team was formed in June 2020 to review and collect online rumors and conspiracy theories between December 31, 2019, to November 30, 2020. It discovered 637 COVID-19 vaccine-related items from 52 countries, 91 percent of which were rumors and 9 percent of which were conspiracy theories. Of the 578 rumors, 36 percent were about vaccine development, availability, and access, 20 percent were about morbidity and mortality, 8 percent were about safety, efficacy, and acceptance, and the rest were about other topics. 5 percent (30) of the 637 items were true. The most popular conspiracy theory circulating on social media was that the COVID-19 vaccine could be used to monitor the human population and take over the world. This study identified a slew of rumors and conspiracy theories that can potentially undermine public trust in the COVID-19 vaccine. Also, leading health organizations, including WHO and the CDC, have found the vaccine safe and effective. The CDC states that millions of people in the U.S. received COVID-19 vaccines under "The most intense safety monitoring in U.S. history." The COVID-19 pandemic has given rise to a lot of potentially dangerous misinformation. For reliable advice on COVID-19, including symptoms, prevention, and available treatment, please refer to the World Health Organization or your national healthcare authority.