Are you confused about the safety of immunizations? You may have heard that vaccines cause life-threatening side effects or lead to other diseases. Or, you may have read that vaccines aren’t needed anymore.

“Many of these myths are perpetuated on the Internet,” says Dr. Jane Siegel, an infectious diseases specialist on the medical staff at Children’s and chairman of the hospital’s Infection Control Committee. “Numerous papers and studies have backed up the safety and success of vaccines.”

Fact 1: We still need vaccines to prevent disease. While many diseases no longer exist in the Unites States,they are common elsewhere in the world. Because traveling is widespread,these diseases can be passed on to those who are not vaccinated. “Vaccinating our children keeps these diseases from coming back,” Dr. Siegel says.

Fact 2: Vaccines are safe and rarely cause serious side effects. Most side effects are mild, such as a sore arm or a low-grade fever. Giving your child acetaminophen can ease side effects. More serious side effects, such as seizures or severe allergic reactions, are quite rare.

Fact 3: Vaccines don’t cause autism or diabetes. A 1998 study in Lancet suggested a link between autism and the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine. This widely disputed study was followed by larger, better-researched studies that found no such connection. As for diabetes, a 10-year study of 739,634 children in The New England Journal of Medicine found no difference in the risk for type 1 diabetes between vaccinated and unvaccinated children.

Fact 4: Vaccines don’t contain harmful additives. A recent study in Pediatrics researched additives and preservatives in childhood vaccines. The researchers concluded that none of the additives and preservatives in vaccines are harmful. The only children at risk with vaccination are those who have severe allergies to eggs or gelatin.

Fact 5: Immunizations don’t cause sudden infant death syndrome. Research has shown no link between vaccinations and SIDS. In fact, one study showed that infants who were immunized were at a decreased risk for SIDS.

American Academy of Pediatrics: www.aap.org
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: www.cdc.gov.