A new review of vaccine safety for children has outlined how serious reactions to vaccines are extremely rare among children. This includes the notion that childhood vaccines may cause autism. The new review examined the safety of 11 vaccines for children under the age of 6, including hepatitis A and B, influenza, varicella (chicken pox), and inactivated poliovirus vaccines.
Although vaccines have played a vital role in the medical community for years to help eliminate and control infectious diseases, there has been an increase in skepticism in their effectiveness and the side effects they may cause. These hesitant views may be linked to new, recent outbreaks in previously controlled diseases, reports Fox News.
The original study regarding vaccine side effects was released by The Institute of Medicine in 2011. It outlined the safety of eight different vaccines, and was one of the first modern studies to conclude that serious side effects from vaccines are extremely rare. The RAND Corporation lead the latest study, and focused on addressing side effects of several vaccines not originally included in the IOM report.
Doctors says that it's important to put risks into perspective, reports WFAA 8 News.
"The most dangerous aspect of giving your child vaccines is driving to the office to get them," says Paul Offit, chief of infectious disease at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
More information on the new study can be found in the July 1st issue of Pediatrics.