What You Need to Know About Vaccines
In alignment with leading medical, health, and patient advocacy groups, the County of San Diego affirms that vaccines are not linked to autism. We remain committed to ensuring residents continue to have access to safe and effective vaccines that are based on credible, transparent, and science-based evidence.
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Decades of research and large-scale studies show that vaccines do not cause autism.
Autism is a complex neurodevelopment condition with multiple contributing factors, including genetic and environmental. Delaying or withholding vaccines will:
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Not lessen the risk of autism.
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Increase the time children and individuals are at risk for vaccine-preventable disease. These diseases, like chickenpox, whooping cough (pertussis), and pneumococcal disease are still fairly common.
Vaccines help your body learn how to fight a disease without making you sick.
- Vaccines contain either a dead or weakened form of the germ to help your body build a defense system (called antibodies) to fight the disease if you are ever exposed. Vaccines do not give you the disease. Instead, they make it much less likely you’ll get very sick, be hospitalized, or die from a disease. This is especially important for people with weaker immune systems, older adults, young children, and people with chronic health conditions.
Vaccines help reduce the spread of disease.
- When enough people in the community are protected (usually through vaccination), the disease can’t spread easily. This help protects vulnerable people, like babies, older adults, and people with weaker immune systems.
- If too few people are protected, diseases can still spread and cause outbreaks.
Vaccines go through careful testing to make sure they're safe before approved for use. This includes all the ingredients in a vaccine.
- Once a vaccine is in use, it is closely monitored for any safety issues.
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Even in emergencies, like when developing the COVID-19 vaccines, safety steps are never skipped.
Vaccines may cause short-term, mild side effects in some people, like a low fever, soreness, rash, or bruises around the injection.
- Short-term effects are normal and mean your immune system is practicing how to fight a virus or bacteria in case you're ever exposed.
- Long-term health problems from vaccines are extremely rare.
Vaccination has improved the quality of life for many worldwide, and serious diseases like smallpox have been eliminated. Millions of people safely get vaccines every year. Talk with your doctor or healthcare provider if you have questions about a vaccine for yourself or your child.
Vaccines help people stay healthy at every age and stage of life, from babies to older adults. Everyone should get the recommended vaccines at the recommended times, because our immune systems change over time.
Follow vaccine schedules for babies, children, teens , adults and older adults , and find clinics, and community places where you can get vaccinated.
Contact the San Diego Immunization Unit via e-mail or call (866) 358-2966 for more information or to request materials.
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