The process of introducing solid foods to a baby can be messy, entertaining and, as any parent who has been through that process knows, deliberate.
Cereals should be fortified with vitamins, doctors say. Fruits and vegetables should be introduced gradually, one ingredient at a time.
So, with all that careful planning about food for the baby’s health, how is it that health officials seem to believe vaccines for infants are OK? That’s the conundrum one widely shared Facebook post raised — but we found its assumption is based on unfounded claims about infants’ immune systems ability to handle ingredients in childhood vaccines.
“If you think a baby’s immune system can safely handle 8 different antigens (toxins, bacteria, DNA) in 1 day but when introducing food they should be fed 1 by 1 to catch an allergic reaction, you might be brainwashed,” read the March 23 post.
It was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook.)
And it gives an inaccurate representation of vaccine safety.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends several vaccines for children before their first birthday in order to strengthen their immune systems against serious diseases, including Hepatitis B, rotavirus and diphtheria.
Vaccines given to babies do not overload their immune systems, according to the CDC.
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