The debate over vaccinations and potential side effects, such as developmental obstacles and autism disorders, will rage on as a new report claims children should be vaccinated given that side effects are rare.
A study of 20,000 research results related to childhood vaccination claims there is no definitive connection to side effects such as autism, which many parents believe is caused by vaccines. Nor is there a connection between vaccinations and childhood leukemia, states a report on the study's findings. The results of the review of multiple studies are published in the journal Pediatrics.
"We found that serious adverse events that are linked to vaccines are really rare, and that when they do occur they are often not necessarily severe," said study co-author Courtney Gidengil, a pediatrician at Boston Children's Hospital and professor at Harvard Medical School.
Gidengil's statement was echoed by another physician who was not involved in the study.
"Vaccines, like any other medication, aren't 100 percent risk free," said Dr. Ari Brown, an Austin, Texas-based pediatrician. "You have a sore arm, redness at the injection site. Those are the things we see commonly. Fortunately, the serious adverse effect is extremely rare."
An earlier study, conducted in 2011 at the Institute of Medicine, stated that while there are some side effects linked to vaccinations, there are few health issues tied to vaccinations.
The latest research calls vaccines as "one of the greatest public health achievements of the 20th century for their role in eradicating smallpox and controlling polio, measles, rubella, and other infectious diseases in the United States."
The study was a literature review of the safety of vaccines given to children 6-years-old and younger. It states evidence is strong that the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine is not associated with the onset of autism in children.
"Our findings may allay some patient, caregiver, and health care provider concerns," state (registration required) the authors.
