I understand that you may have concerns about the safety of immunization. However, it is important to know that there is no evidence to suggest that immunization can cause HIV or AIDS. In fact, immunization is a safe and effective way to protect your child from many serious diseases. It is also important for protecting the health of the community by preventing the spread of infectious diseases. I strongly recommend that your child receive all recommended immunizations according to the recommended schedule.
Mythbusters: Can immunization cause HIV or AIDS?
As you may know, sharing needles with someone who has HIV can possibly spread HIV, but we do not reuse needles for immunization or any injections. If non-reusable syringes are used, your caregiver is likely to have been trained on how to use them safely to eliminate chances of spread of disease. That said, unfortunately, pregnant women with HIV can pass the virus to their babies. This type of HIV spread is not related to immunization. It can happen whether or not the mother or child is immunized since there is not yet an AIDS vaccine.
Patient Information
Why should I trust what you tell me about immunization or vaccines?
I regret that you might not trust us, but please know that the recommendations we are making are made all over the world. While in Africa vaccine coverage is often limited, some countries are lucky to give even more vaccines to their children.
- I would like you to trust us because we have your child’s best interests at heart. But if you would like, please speak with a healthcare professional near you on the information you have read on our website.
- You should also know that here at Eastview Family Health, we make sure that our own children have all recommended vaccinations, so clearly, we are very confident in vaccinations.
If I still have concerns about having my child immunized or vaccinated, where can I learn more?
While at the hospital, find out if a doctor, clinical officer or nurse is available to speak with you about vaccines. If not, you can make an appointment to speak to one later. You can also do some reading by yourself on vaccine safety. As you self study, keep in mind that there is a lot of false information about vaccination on the internet. Therefore, it is best for you to use only websites from reputable organizations such as the ones below.
- World Health Organization
- U.S. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. Visit Website ->
- Immunization Action Coalition. Visit Website->
- Other credible websites, especially in the national language(s), including the website of your country’s Ministry of Health. Here you are likely to find well-done national publications with solid information on immunization.
Where did you get this information from?
This information on vaccines for babies and children was sourced, then aggregated and edited by our team of health professionals. The key sources are:
- United Nations Children’s Fund, ‘IPC for Immunization Package’, UNICEF, New York, 2019.
-
Immunize.Org (IAC). (n.d.). Vaccine Information You Need From The Immunization Action Coalition. Vaccineinformation.Org. Retrieved June 30, 2022, from https://vaccineinformation.org/
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