Vaccines Don’t Make Children Unhealthy
The Claim
Unvaccinated children are healthier than vaccinated children.
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Emerging story
There have been antivaxxers for quite a while now, but the most recent claim is derived from a study published this year. Dr. James Lyons-Weiler and Paul Thomas analyzed data from Integrative Pediatrics, a private practice located in Portland.
They found that vaccinated children went to the doctor much more often than their unvaccinated counterparts. They also said that unvaccinated children have a much lower rate of autism, ADHD, and other cognitive disorders. As expected, it was shared on various antivaxxer communities, often being declared to be “groundbreaking.”
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar’s investigation found that this study is far from comprehensive and has quite a few issues. First, it’s primary measured variable – relative incident of office visit (“RIOV”) – is not accurate in assessing the overall health of unvaccinated children.
As their parents tend to distrust doctors, unvaccinated children are less likely to be taken to a doctor. This possibility is not addressed in the study. Their RIOV may also be linked to the lower rate of diagnoses, as unvaccinated children are less likely to see a doctor to diagnose them in the first place.
Moreover, even if RIOV is a reliable assessment of the subjects’ overall health, the study doesn’t measure the lifestyles of it subjects. Unvaccinated children may be given better diets that their vaccinated peers, for example. This is addressed by the study, but its only statement regarding this concern is weak at best. It asserts that, if an antivaxxers have such healthy lifestyles, then everyone should just be an antivaxxer. This is clearly not an acceptable rebuke.
Further, vaccines protect against many diseases, several of them deadly. These include cholera, diphtheria, influenza, the measles, mumps, and polio. Worldwide, several million child deaths are prevented each year because of immunization.
