Image for immunization article The widespread use of vaccines has reduced the spread of many different diseases in the United States, saving millions of lives every year. But, many parents are concerned about the safety of these vaccines and choose not to immunize their children. So, are their fears grounded? According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), no. Vaccines are continuously monitored for their safety and effectiveness and held to the highest quality standards. Actions are taken promptly if vaccines are found to have significant adverse reactions; this may include having the vaccine removed from the routine schedule. Additionally, research shows that the benefits of immunizing your children far outweigh the risks.

The Benefits of Immunization

Immunizations help keep children healthy, save medical costs, and save lives. For example:

  • Before the polio vaccine, 13,000 to 20,000 children in the US each year were stricken with the disease.
  • Pertussis (Whooping cough) can lead to pneumonia, seizures, and death in infants. Prior to immunization, 260,000 cases of pertussis were reported each year, resulting in 9000 deaths.
  • Before vaccination for chicken pox began in 1995, chicken pox was responsible for four million cases, 11,000 hospitalizations, and 100 deaths each year.

It’s also important to realize that when you choose not to vaccinate your child, not only are you risking your own child’s health, but you are risking the health of all those in contact with your child.

Why Do Some Parents Choose Not to Vaccinate Their Children?

Almost 25% of children in America are missing one or more of the recommended childhood vaccinations. Usually this is because they don’t have adequate access to healthcare. Some parents, however, choose not to vaccinate their children because they fear vaccines can cause conditions such as autism and asthma. To address these concerns, we turn to the latest research on the safety of childhood immunizations.

What the Research Says

According to the Institute of Medicine (IOM), a non-profit organization that independently reviews research and reports on its findings to the government, there are many publicly perceived—but not scientifically proven—connections between vaccinations and different conditions. These include:

Neurodevelopmental Disorders

Nearly 90% of children in the US receive the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine at 15 months of age. This coincides with the age when the first symptoms of autism usually appear, leading many parents to associate autism with the MMR vaccine.

A large population-based study examined the relationship between the MMR vaccine and autism using data from 440,655 children. The findings, published in the November 7, 2002 New England Journal of Medicine , provided strong evidence that the MMR vaccine does not cause autism.

Previously, many vaccinations were preserved with mercury, which is toxic if absorbed in large amounts. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) conducted a study looking at the safety of mercury-containing vaccines using the data from 140,887 infants. Their results, published in the November 2003 journal Pediatrics , found no association between mercury in childhood vaccinations and neurodevelopmental outcomes such as autism and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) . However, their results did indicate the need for more research on mercury and other neurodevelopmental outcomes, such as language delays and tics. Even in the absence of evidence suggesting harm, mercury is no longer used as a preservative in the vast majority of vaccines given to children. Some preparations of influenza vaccine still do contain mercury, but mercury-free flu shots for kids should be available in most communities.

SIDS

Another condition commonly associated with vaccines is sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) . SIDS usually occurs in infants between two and four months of age, which coincides with the age a child receives most immunizations, and has led some people to associate the two. Scientists, however, have found no link between vaccines and SIDS.

In a study published in the April 7, 2001 British Medical Journal, researchers looked at the immunization status of 303 infants with deaths attributed to SIDS, 65 infants with other explained sudden deaths, and 1515 living age-matched controls. The study found that multiple childhood immunizations do not lead to sudden unexpected deaths in infancy. In fact, the results showed that immunizations might protect infants from SIDS.

Immune Disorders

Infants today receive over twice as many immunizations as they did in 1980, and by the age of six months, most have received 15 doses of five vaccines. Many people have expressed concern that this hefty immunization load is the reason for the increase in immune disorders, such as allergies and asthma .

In a study published in the March 2003 journal Pediatrics , researchers reviewed several studies that examined the relationship between vaccines and chronic disease, including asthma, multiple sclerosis , arthritis , and diabetes . Their review showed that these studies do not support the theory that vaccines cause allergic or autoimmune diseases. However, since it is much harder to prove safety than harm, the authors concluded that more research is still needed in this area. Any risk missed in this study, though, would be much lower than the benefit that comes to children from being protected through vaccination.

The Bottom Line

Current evidence shows that today’s childhood vaccines are safe and effective. And while further research is needed regarding the relationship between vaccines and certain outcomes, such as asthma, the overall benefits of vaccinating your child far outweigh the risks.

Remember, choosing not to vaccinate your child also puts him or her at risk of contracting many dangerous and potentially deadly diseases. It also increases the risk for others who come in contact with your child. If you have concerns about a vaccine’s safety, speak with your child’s doctor for more information.