News & Views – Vaccines: Facts, Myths and Fallacies
Published on in Vaccine Update for Healthcare Providers
Published on in Vaccine Update for Healthcare Providers
“Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passions, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.” — John Adams
In this period of “alternate facts,” a 24-hour news cycle, and an internet that can provide whatever answer a person seeks, it can be difficult to convince parents and patients using facts alone. Parents may respond using their own “facts” leaving you frustrated and unprepared to dive further into the conversation.
Without further conversation and as more parents become convinced by the counter-arguments, these “alternative facts” become widely held “truths.” Often the counter-arguments are based on fallacies, or errors of logic or reasoning. Different types of logical fallacies have been described in an article by David Ferrer, published on The Best Schools website. The article, which includes some short video examples, describes 15 types of fallacies:
Recognizing these fallacies, and helping your patients and families recognize them may be useful to approaching vaccine-related conversations as well as helping sort out fact from fiction in general. To that end, the VEC recently created a new Special Topics sheet, titled Logical Fallacies and Vaccines: What You Should Know. The new, four-page sheet includes a definition for each type of fallacy, a common example of how the fallacy is used to argue against vaccines, and a “reality check” statement about the related myth.
As with other Special Topics sheets, and most VEC materials, this information can be photocopied for distribution, linked from your website, or shared on social media.
Contributed by: Paul A. Offit, MD, Charlotte A. Moser, MS
Categories: News and Views About Vaccines, Vaccine Update May 2018
Materials in this section are updated as new information and vaccines become available. The Vaccine Education Center staff regularly reviews materials for accuracy.
You should not consider the information in this site to be specific, professional medical advice for your personal health or for your family's personal health. You should not use it to replace any relationship with a physician or other qualified healthcare professional. For medical concerns, including decisions about vaccinations, medications and other treatments, you should always consult your physician or, in serious cases, seek immediate assistance from emergency personnel.