Ulrike Protzer. Photo: HMGUIs it true that the facts are taking more and more of a backseat in the US elections? Our topic:... Is it true that the facts are taking more and more of a backseat in the US elections? Our topic: Vaccination. The anti-vaccination fraction is growing in the USA. Although vaccination is not a main topic in the election, both candidates have expressed views on the issue. On March 28, 2014, Trump tweeted about a connection between vaccines and autism. Quote from Trump: "Healthy young child goes to doctor, gets pumped with massive shot of many vaccines, doesn't feel good and changes - AUTISM. Many such cases!" During the Republican primary debates, he reiterated this statement, which is based on a study published by Andrew Wakefield which has meanwhile been scientifically disproved and retracted. Hillary Clinton takes a clear stand for vaccination. For instance, on February 3, 2015 she tweeted: "The science is clear: The earth is round, the sky is blue and vaccines work". The point of view of science from Ulrike Protzer. She is director of the Institute of Virology at Helmholtz Zentrum München, head of the Institute of Virology at the Technical University of Munich and member of the tripartite executive board of the German Centre for Infection Research network. Donald Trump indicates that vaccinations can trigger autism. This is a claim that has been clearly debunked by science. The assertion goes back to a small study from the 1990s in which the English physician Andrew Wakefield associated autism with the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine. This led to a sharp drop in the vaccination rate in all countries. In Great Britain, it fell from 92 to 80 percent. This is dangerous, because measles in particular spread very rapidly and can have dangerous consequences, including death. Before the introduction of global immunization, 2.6 million children died of measles each year! If we look at how vaccinations have succeeded compared to other medical measures that we use, it is clear that immunization is the action that has saved the most human lives. From a scientific point of view, there are no good arguments against vaccination. However, one repeatedly hears populist arguments from vaccination opponents, although no attempt to find scientific evidence for these arguments has ever succeeded. No study has been able to produce evidence of a connection between vaccinations and autism. The first study, to which Donald Trump refers, has been shown to be a fraud that Mr. Wakefield was perpetrating in order to generate business for a vaccine that he had developed. The Lancet journal, which had published the study, later retracted it. In Germany, vaccinations are strongly recommended but they are not compulsory. We expect that responsible citizens will understand that it is necessary to prevent infectious diseases by vaccinating against them. In other countries, most notably in Scandinavia but also in the USA, there are much stricter rules. Children there must prove that they have a certain vaccination status before they are permitted to attend school or kindergarten. The rules in Germany are less drastic, however they also lead to a comparably low vaccination rate. Regional differences can also be seen in many countries. Particularly people who live in prosperous areas see less need for vaccinations. This is largely because infectious diseases are no longer as apparent today. In the past, people could be seen dying from these diseases every day, and consequently it was clear why vaccination was necessary. Today, thanks to successful vaccination, these diseases are no longer visible to everyone. As soon as people stop seeing the illness as life threatening in their daily surroundings, they also stop taking it seriously. A false conclusion, but sometimes our perception is simply somewhat shortsighted. Nevertheless, I do not believe that we need to make vaccinations compulsory. I am convinced that people in an enlightened society should be able to make decisions based on evidence and to believe the experts. However people are also very receptive to sentiments against vaccination. The procedure itself is not especially pleasant. One must go to the doctor, the needle pricks and we notice our immune system's response to the vaccination in the form of cold-like symptoms, although these are not dangerous. But we prefer to avoid all those things that we find unpleasant. And this is true for vaccinations, although the risk-benefit analysis clearly speaks in favor of vaccination. For this very reason, I find it to be irresponsible when leading politicians use "facts" that science has clearly disproved in order to shape opinion and make a name for themselves.