Vaccine misinformation toolkit
The Southern Alliance for Public Health Leadership (SAPHL) builds and supports a regional alliance of trusted voices in public health. We work across state lines to strengthen leadership, connect communities, and improve health outcomes through policy, partnership, and locally grounded strategies.
About this toolkit
Vaccines are one of the most effective tools we have to prevent illness. We are working alongside local leaders to strengthen care in every ZIP code. As new data becomes available, it helps us offer even better guidance to families.
This toolkit is designed to be clear, credible, respectful, and hopeful. It frames current challenges with solutions and momentum, avoiding jargon or overly technical language.
Tools and templates
The following tools and templates are provided to help you build localized, community-centered communications based on evidence.
Vaccine FAQ
Use this to prepare for questions about vaccines.
How to Check Vaccine Claims
Great for trying to understand specific and new claims so you can be prepared to answer them.
Letterhead / memo template
For official guidance, ensuring clarity and dignity.
Slide deck
For visual presentations and community town halls.
Quick Hits
Click the titles below to view and expand full information sheets designed for patient education.
The flu shot cannot give you the flu
A quick answer to a common question
The flu shot cannot give you the flu.
Why not?
The shot uses flu virus that has been killed, or it uses a part made in a lab. It cannot cause flu in your body.
Why might I feel bad after the shot?
Your arm may hurt. You may feel tired. Some people get a mild fever for a short time. These are side effects. They are not the flu.
What if I get sick soon after?
It takes about two weeks for the shot to build full protection. You may also catch a cold or another germ at the same time. The shot did not cause that illness.
What should I do?
Ask your health care worker what to expect. Tell them if you had a bad reaction to a vaccine in the past.
Side effects are not the same as the disease
What may happen after a vaccine
A sore arm, tiredness, or a mild fever may happen after some shots. These signs are not the disease.
Why do side effects happen?
They can happen as your body responds to the vaccine. Not everyone has them. The effects are often mild and go away soon. You do not need side effects for the vaccine to work.
What if a health problem starts after a shot?
Tell your health care worker. The problem may be due to the shot, or it may have another cause. The time alone does not prove the cause.
When should I get help?
Follow the care sheet you get after the shot. Get help right away for an emergency. Call your health care worker for a problem that is bad, lasts, or worries you.
More than one vaccine does not overload the body
Why several shots may be given at one visit
More than one vaccine can be given at one visit when your health care worker says it is right for you.
Does this use up the immune system?
No. Your body meets many germs each day. Vaccines teach your body to spot a few of them. Your body can respond to more than one vaccine at a time.
Why get them at the same visit?
It can mean fewer trips to the clinic. It can also give you protection sooner. Vaccines that are given together are tested for safe use.
What about side effects?
More than one shot can mean more than one sore spot. Ask what effects to expect and what you can do to feel better.
Vaccines do not cause autism
What years of research show
Studies of many children have found no link between vaccines and autism.
Why do some people worry?
Signs of autism may be seen near the same age that children get some shots. Two things can happen near the same time without one causing the other.
What do studies show?
Teams in many places have studied this for years. They found that vaccines do not cause autism. They also found no link with the MMR vaccine.
What should I do?
Ask your child's health care worker about any change in how your child talks, plays, learns, or acts. Early help can support a child.
A vaccine can still help if you get sick
No vaccine stops every case
A vaccine can still lower your chance of very bad illness, even if you get sick.
How can that be?
Some vaccines help stop an infection. Some help your body fight the germ faster. You may still get sick, but you may be less likely to have a very bad case. The kind of help depends on the vaccine.
Does one sick person prove the vaccine failed?
No. One story cannot tell us how well a vaccine works. We learn by looking at many people who are alike in key ways.
What should I ask?
Ask what the vaccine helps stop. Ask how much it may help a person like you. Your health and age may change the answer.