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Can Vaccines Cause Down Syndrome?

By / / DNA, Down syndrome, immunocompromised, John Langdon Down, Mongolism, Peter McCullough, Trisomy 21

Why do some people think that vaccines can cause Down syndrome?

That is not true. Just as there are unvaccinated autistic children, there are unvaccinated children and adults with Down syndrome. Besides, Down syndrome has been around for thousands of years - well before we had vaccines.
That is not true. Just as there are unvaccinated autistic children, there are unvaccinated children and adults with Down syndrome. Besides, Down syndrome has been around for thousands of years – well before we had vaccines.

The usual suspects…

Can Vaccines Cause Down Syndrome?

In this case, the usual suspect is Elon Musk’s Twitter (we are supposed to call it X now).

There is only a rise in anti-vaccine misinformation and propaganda that is scaring parents away from vacinating and protecting their kids.
There is only a rise in anti-vaccine misinformation and propaganda that is scaring parents away from vacinating and protecting their kids.

It seems that parents are seeing tweets from random people who claim that vaccines cause Down syndrome, which does not actually happen!

Not surprisingly, other animals do have trisomy disorders, including dogs with trisomy X and chimpanzees with trisomy 21 and trisomy 22.
Not surprisingly, other animals do have trisomy disorders, including dogs with trisomy X and chimpanzees with trisomy 21 and trisomy 22.

And, not surprisingly, helped along by anti-vaccine influencers who may not be saying that vaccines cause Down syndrome, but do scare parents away from getting their Down syndrome vaccinated just the same.

COVID is 10 times deadlier for children with Down syndrome and COVID vaccines are safe for them, which makes Peter McCullough's advice especially alarming.
COVID is 10 times deadlier for children with Down syndrome and COVID vaccines are safe for them, which makes Peter McCullough’s advice especially alarming.

Children develop Down syndrome because they have an extra copy of chromosome 21.

Vaccines Do Not Cause Down Syndrome

Of course, vaccines do not cause Down syndrome.

“Down syndrome is usually caused by an error in cell division called “nondisjunction.” Nondisjunction results in an embryo with three copies of chromosome 21 instead of the usual two. Prior to or at conception, a pair of 21st chromosomes in either the sperm or the egg fails to separate. As the embryo develops, the extra chromosome is replicated in every cell of the body.”

About Down Syndrome

They have an extra chromosome 21 because “a pair of 21st chromosomes in either the sperm or the egg fails to separate” and this happens “prior to or at conception.”

Which vaccine would you get prior to or at conception that might be associated with this?

None!

“In conclusion, this review of the VAERS database for selected vaccines administered during pregnancy found no increased reporting for any birth defect.”

Major birth defects after vaccination reported to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), 1990 – 2014

Unfortunately, vaccine hesitancy has increased in parents of children with Down syndrome.

“DS individuals may have a high frequency of infections, usually of the upper respiratory tract, characterized by increased severity and prolonged course of disease, which are partially attributed to defects of the immune system.”

Infections and immunodeficiency in Down syndrome

That is especially tragic, as children with Down syndrome are considered to have a weakened immune system and are at high risk to get infections and complications, including many vaccine-preventable diseases!

“A 2-year-old white Caucasian female affected by Down Syndrome was referred to our hospital for cardiac arrest in course of varicella disease. After cardiopulmonary resuscitation and stabilization, her clinical conditions didn’t improve and she developed a massive pulmonary hemorrage, which led her to exitus.”

Fatal varicella pneumonia in an unvaccinated child with Down Syndrome: a case report

That extra risk should reinforce the importance that children with Down syndrome get all of their vaccines on time. In fact, they might need some extra vaccines, like pneumovax.

This article in Science was from 1925, when we basically just had the smallpox vaccine. Remember, John Langdon Down first described kids with Mongolism in 1866. But it wasn’t until the 1970s that the condition was renamed to Down syndrome. Anyway, if the smallpox vaccine caused all of these kids to have Down syndrome in 1925, which vaccine caused it after we stopped using the smallpox vaccine in 1972?

They definitely shouldn’t be skipping or delaying any vaccines.

More on Down Syndrome

Last Updated on April 7, 2025