Some vaccines can cause seizures, brain inflammation and other complications, but those side effects appear to be rare and there is no link between immunizations and autism or other serious medical problems, the National Academy of Sciences has concluded.
In the first comprehensive review in 17 years of the scientific evidence about the safety of vaccines, a committee formed by the academy’s Institute of Medicine analyzed more than 1,000 research studies to examine persistent questions about the safety of vaccines.
In the 667-page report released Thursday, the 16-member committee found convincing evidence that vaccines could cause 14 health problems, including seizures, brain inflammation and fainting, but that those complications appeared to be very uncommon.
The committee also concluded there was evidence that some vaccines could cause other complications, such as allergic reactions and temporary joint pain. But the committee found there was no link between being immunized and the most serious health problems that have raised concern, including autism and Type 1 diabetes.
“With the start of the new school year, it’s time to ensure that children are up to date on their immunizations, making this report’s findings about the safety of these eight vaccines particularly timely,” Ellen Wright Clayton, a professor of pediatrics and law at the Vanderbilt University who chaired the committee, said in a written statement. “The findings should be reassuring to parents that few health problems are clearly connected to immunization, and these effects occur relatively rarely. ”
The Institute of Medicine has reviewed the safety of vaccines 11 times at the request of Congress since it enacted the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act in 1986, with the last review occurring in 1994. The Health and Human Services Department uses the reviews to administer the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, which compensates the families of children injured by vaccines.
In recent years, the safety of vaccines has become the subject of intense debate. Some parents have raised concerns that the rising number of inoculations might be causing too many complications, leading some parents to refuse to get their children vaccinated. Many public health authorities, however, have become increasingly alarmed that the refusals have led to a resurgence of diseases that can be life-threatening, such as measles.
