The truth about childhood vaccinations

By BRUCE A. EPSTEIN

© St. Petersburg Times, published April 26, 2001

It is a myth that vaccines do not work. Before vaccines became widely used, infectious diseases killed thousands of children and adults each year in the United States.

VACCINATIONS SAVE LIVES: In the 1964-1965 rubella (German measles) epidemic, there were 12.5-million cases. Of the 20,000 infants born with congenital rubella syndrome, 11,600 were deaf, 3,580 were blind, and 1,800 were mentally retarded. In 1999, there were only 238 cases.

Before 1963, more than 3-million cases of measles and 500 deaths from measles were reported each year. In 1999, there were only 86 cases.

In 1952, polio paralyzed more than 21,000 people. Polio has virtually been eliminated from the North American continent.

In the early 1940s, there was an average of 175,000 cases of pertussis (whooping cough) per year, resulting in the deaths of 8,000 children annually.

VACCINATE EARLY: Children begin their immunizations in the first few months of life because this is the age they are most vulnerable to vaccine-preventable diseases. It is very important that infants be fully immunized against certain diseases by the time they are 6 months old.

Despite what you may hear or read, all recommended vaccines are extraordinarily safe. Side effects are usually limited to pain and tenderness where the shot was given or a low-grade fever.

Vaccine safety is continuously monitored. Although the oral polio vaccine eliminated naturally occurring polio in the United States, it caused rare cases of vaccine-induced polio. Because of that, the oral polio vaccine was discontinued and in its place was substituted four doses of inactivated polio vaccine.

The safety of vaccines is continuously evaluated and studied by many programs, including the Task Force on Safer Childhood Vaccines and associations like the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the American Association of Family Physicians.

DISPELLING SOME MYTHS: Vaccines do not cause autism. New studies prove that there is no association between the MMR vaccine and autism.

Hepatitis B vaccine does not cause multiple sclerosis. This myth started after the TV show 20/20 did a segment about children and adults who developed arthritis, multiple sclerosis and long-term neurologic disorders after receiving the hepatitis B vaccine. Although the cause of MS is not known, it is not caused by the hepatitis B vaccine. Studies prove the incidence of MS is the same in a population who received the vaccine compared to those who did not.

Vaccines do not cause diabetes. The hypothesis was that the HiB (haemophilus influenzae type B) vaccine might be associated with the development of diabetes. The rate of diabetes in vaccinated children has been compared with the rate in unvaccinated children, and no association was found.

Vaccines do not cause SIDS. There have been reports about infants who died from sudden infant death syndrome after receiving a dose of DPT or hepatitis B vaccine. Whenever vaccines are given, there is always the risk that coincidental illnesses or medical conditions that are known to appear at the same age are falsely attributed to the immunization.

Parents are bombarded with conflicting information found on the Internet and in magazines and newspapers.

The media present this material in a believable manner. Few parents (or reporters, for that matter) have the training in microbiology, immunology and statistical analysis to separate good medical research from a poor study.

All parents should make the decision to immunize their children based on the facts. Parents should review vaccine information statements available from their health care providers.

They should ask their doctors questions about immunizations, including benefits and risks pertinent to their child.

Nothing could be more harmful than for parents to mistrust childhood vaccination, leaving our children and community defenseless against infectious diseases.

-- Bruce A. Epstein practiced pediatrics in St. Petersburg for 26 years. He edits the Web site http://www.kidsgrowth.com.

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