Report: Vaccines Generally Safe, Cause Few Health Problems
Report: Vaccines Generally Safe, Cause Few Health Problems
Vaccine Safety Analysis Rules Out Links to Autism, Diabetes; Confirms Links to Some Side Effects
Aug. 25, 2011 -- Nearly two decades of research on vaccine safety has found that serious side effects are rare and that vaccines do not cause autism, diabetes, asthma, or Bell’s palsy.
Although fears about vaccine safety are common, the new study from the nonprofit Institute of Medicine finds that vaccines cause few health problems.
"The findings should be reassuring to parents that few health problems are clearly connected to immunizations, and these effects occur relatively rarely,” says Ellen Wright Clayton, MD, JD, director of the Center for Biomedical Ethics and Society at Vanderbilt University. “And repeated study has made clear that some health problems are not caused by vaccines."
"MMR [measles, mumps, rubella] does not cause autism, MMR does not cause type 1 diabetes," she says. "DTaP [diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis] does not cause type 1 diabetes.
"The flu vaccine does not aggravate asthma, and the flu vaccine doesn't cause Bell's palsy," she says. Bell's palsy is a disorder of a nerve controlling facial muscles on one side of the face.
The Institute of Medicine panel looked at more than 1,000 research articles for the study. It was done at the request of the federal Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP). The findings will provide a scientific basis when the VICP, administered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, reviews legal claims about vaccine injuries and decides whether to compensate people who file those claims.
Childhood Illnesses Every Parent Must Know
The committee looked at eight vaccines given to children or adults:
The committee reviewed the medical literature to see if there was any evidence that the vaccines were associated with 14 different health outcomes. These outcomes include seizures, inflammation of the brain, fainting, and other problems.
For each health outcome, the experts looked at scientific studies and other evidence. They decided how strong the evidence was and whether it pointed to a cause-effect relationship.
For instance, the experts considered 22 studies that looked at the risk of autism after MMR vaccine but found no evidence of a link between the two.
Report: Vaccines Generally Safe, Cause Few Health Problems
Vaccine Safety Analysis Rules Out Links to Autism, Diabetes; Confirms Links to Some Side Effects
Aug. 25, 2011 -- Nearly two decades of research on vaccine safety has found that serious side effects are rare and that vaccines do not cause autism, diabetes, asthma, or Bell’s palsy.
Although fears about vaccine safety are common, the new study from the nonprofit Institute of Medicine finds that vaccines cause few health problems.
"The findings should be reassuring to parents that few health problems are clearly connected to immunizations, and these effects occur relatively rarely,” says Ellen Wright Clayton, MD, JD, director of the Center for Biomedical Ethics and Society at Vanderbilt University. “And repeated study has made clear that some health problems are not caused by vaccines."
"MMR [measles, mumps, rubella] does not cause autism, MMR does not cause type 1 diabetes," she says. "DTaP [diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis] does not cause type 1 diabetes.
"The flu vaccine does not aggravate asthma, and the flu vaccine doesn't cause Bell's palsy," she says. Bell's palsy is a disorder of a nerve controlling facial muscles on one side of the face.
The Institute of Medicine panel looked at more than 1,000 research articles for the study. It was done at the request of the federal Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP). The findings will provide a scientific basis when the VICP, administered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, reviews legal claims about vaccine injuries and decides whether to compensate people who file those claims.
Childhood Illnesses Every Parent Must Know
Vaccine Side Effects: Report Details
The committee looked at eight vaccines given to children or adults:
- MMR
- Varicella (for chickenpox)
- Influenza
- Hepatitis A
- Hepatitis B
- Human papillomavirus (HPV)
- Diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis
- Meningococcal
The committee reviewed the medical literature to see if there was any evidence that the vaccines were associated with 14 different health outcomes. These outcomes include seizures, inflammation of the brain, fainting, and other problems.
For each health outcome, the experts looked at scientific studies and other evidence. They decided how strong the evidence was and whether it pointed to a cause-effect relationship.
For instance, the experts considered 22 studies that looked at the risk of autism after MMR vaccine but found no evidence of a link between the two.
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