An anti-vaccine conspiracy theorist with a large following falsely claims that most SIDS cases occur within 10 days of vaccination. The post also repeats the debunked myth that SIDS “disappeared” in Japan after the country delayed the vaccination schedule by two years.
The persistence of the myth increases its risk. Debunking messaging may explain that multiple studies have ruled out vaccines as a cause of SIDS, including a global analysis that found that vaccinated babies have a lower SIDS risk than unvaccinated babies. Other studies have shown no increase in SIDS rates in the two weeks after vaccination. Consider countering misinformation by explaining that Japan’s recommended immunization schedule is similar to the CDC’s and includes around 10 vaccinations before age 2.
