Vaccines that children get in the early stages of their life are safe says a new study. The side effects, per the study, are very rare.
The study was commissioned by the federal government which deployed RAND Corporation to assess all the information that is available on the plethora of childhood vaccines. The research was conducted in a bid to assure individuals of the safety of vaccines and put to rest all doubts associated with them.
"Concerns about vaccine safety have led some parents to decline recommended vaccination of their children, leading to the resurgence of diseases," writes RAND's Dr. Courtney Gidengil, co-author of the study, in the report. "We found evidence that some vaccines are associated with serious adverse events; however, these events are extremely rare and must be weighed against the protective benefits that vaccines provide."
While some vaccines may cause side effects, it is a rarity per the researchers and the analysis of close to 67 research studies confirms that there is no proof that immunizations can lead to autism. On the contrary, per the report, "strong evidence" exists that the measles vaccines is not linked to an increased risk of autism. That measles vaccines can cause autism is a myth.
"There is a lot of misinformation out there about vaccines," says Margaret Maglione, co-author of the study. "With the rise of the Internet and the decline of print journalism, anyone can put anything on the Internet."
However, Maglione agrees that like any drug, vaccines may also lead to serious side effects, but the problems arising as a result are "extremely rare." One would be wise to weigh the benefits of vaccination against the side effects.
According to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report, thanks to vaccines that were administered to infants and kids in the last 20 years (from 1994 to 2013), nearly 322 million ailments, 21 million hospitalizations and 732,000 deaths have been prevented during their lifetime.
The current report, however, reveals that certain combined vaccines for measles, rubella and mumps, as well as some flu shots, are linked to a heightened risk of fever-related seizures in little children. However, while seizures can be scary and may alarm parents, they are benign and do not result in any issues in the long run.
The findings of the new study will hopefully convince parents who are not in favor of administering vaccines to their children. The study has been published in the journal Pediatrics.
