Vaccines – Who Do You Trust?
Many of us remember the quiz show “Who Do You Trust?”, it was popular in the late 1950s and early 1960s, (trivia – it was first hosted by Johnny Carson and became the show that brought him into national prominence). The key gimmick of the show was that for each trivia question, one contestant had to decide whether to answer the question themselves or “trust” their partner to answer it instead. This show came to my mind as I considered the best way to approach my blog on vaccines because, at the end of the day, when it comes to vaccines the real question is – who has the best chance of answering your question, who do you trust?
Our trust in both public and private medical institutions in the U.S. is very low. We’ve weathered the confusing institutional guidance of the COVID pandemic, and the internet bombards us with misinformation about individual vaccines and vaccines in general. For the first time we’re seeing many respected patient and medical organizations disagreeing with the guidance coming from the government. It’s difficult to know where the truth lies and what is really best for us and our families.
Distrust in vaccines is not an entirely new phenomenon. Historically, the men in the revolutionary army were very leery of George Washington’s order that they be vaccinated for smallpox, but they were in the army and had no choice. It turned out to be a very wise decision. In the early 1900s people were still hesitant about this early vaccine and many fought against the mandates, but when polio struck in the forties and fifties people rushed to get vaccinated. There was an incident during that time that I think is worth reviewing.
When Dr. Jonas Salk announced the first effective polio vaccine in 1955, the country erupted in relief. The government rushed to license and distribute it — and that urgency set the stage for what came next. Cutter Laboratories, a small California manufacturer, was one of several companies licensed to produce the Salk vaccine, which used inactivated (killed) poliovirus. Cutter’s production process failed to fully inactivate the virus in some batches. As a result, live poliovirus ended up in vaccines shipped nationwide. About 200,000 children received the defective vaccine and 40,000 developed mild polio. The government’s response was swift and unusually transparent for the era. They pulled the bad vaccine and halted all deliveries. They found that the government developed manufacturing protocol was inadequate. Officials strengthened the protocol which led directly to the creation of modern vaccine‑safety standards. The trust in the government rebounded because there was transparent communication, clear evidence the vaccine worked, the threat of polio was great, and the government worked swiftly to counter the problems.
It is evident that transparency is key to gaining trust. Today, many of us are questioning the transparency and the accuracy of the information that is coming from our government. Many pushed back on the COVID vaccine mandates due to this lost trust. We see political influence creep into health agencies, especially their evaluation panels, like the one that recently released guidance on vaccine standards. The tsunami of questionable vaccine data that comes from the internet further muddies the water as we search for facts we can trust. So, what do we do? How can we make the right decision for us and our families? For what it’s worth, here is my recommendations on how best to evaluate what is the best path to take concerning vaccines.
Historically, vaccines work and have been worth the risk of any side effects. There will always be a small percentage of people that will have a negative reaction to any vaccine. When you look at smallpox, polio, and measles, the benefit certainly outweighed the risk. There are decades of information that support this fact. The return of measles, with 93% of cases among the unvaccinated, once again confirms this fact. We were all worried about the speed at which the COVID vaccines were developed but the FDA and other agencies did their job and once again the small risk was overridden by the millions of lives that were saved. As long as we stay vigilant and keep the FDA and other agencies free from non-scientific influence, we have a quality control system that has proven itself time and again.
There are other organizations that have proven to be accurate sources of information. There were numerous respected national organizations that rejected the government’s recent change to guidelines on childhood vaccines, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, American Medical Association, National Medical Association, and the American Academy of Family Physicians. I think it is valuable to look to respected groups like these as another source of information to consider. I recognize that any organization may have some biases, but they still offer a valuable source of information to consider.
The final and most valuable source of information is your doctor and other care givers. HHS, in most of their recommendations, have encouraged patients to consult with their doctors - and that is valuable advice. The bottom line is that each of us shouldn’t push the responsibility of our own health onto any institution. Unfortunately, the result of some reductions in government recommendations may also reduce your providers frequency in asking important health and vaccine questions. Do your homework, stay informed, balance all of your information sources, and then ask your doctor how she/he feels about your findings. I have found that if I’ve done the work and looked to the sources available, and finally consulted with my doctor, my gut will tell me what to do. This may seem a little unscientific to some, but I really believe that no one really knows us like we do. You can take that advice with as much salt as needed.
The important thing to remember is that the answer to the question of “who do you trust” is – trust yourself. Do your homework and then take responsibility for your own health. HS
Thair