Are vaccines safe?

People who are opposed to vaccination say vaccines are not safe. According to them, large European studies showing no adverse effects from vaccines in more than 2.5 million kids were epidemiological, meaning that the studies examined patterns in the population rather than biological cause and effect in the individual. Large studies also ignore the significant number of anecdotal stories by parents who have witnessed sudden declines in the health of their children after vaccination.

Of course, "safe" does not mean without risk. It means that the benefit of a vaccine, or any medical procedure, is greater than the risk involved for the general population. Vaccines save lives and prevent disease, but all seventeen childhood vaccines combined may carry serious risks for anywhere from 1 child in 2,000 to 1 child in 10,000. The chance that childhood vaccines benefit the typical child is at least twenty times greater than the chance of serious injury. Some of us think that it is not just the vaccine but its interaction with another factor -- specifically, with a gene turned on by a virus, for instance -- that underlies many a bad reaction. One way for parents to "play it safe" is not to immunize their child while he or any family member is sick but to wait a week until he's healthy. In other words, I agree with vaccinating, just not when your child is sick. This is the recommendation of the American Academy of Pediatrics and the federal government as well, so make sure that your child is healthy when vaccines are given. Bottom line for us, immunizing your healthy child against the diseases preventable by currently licensed vaccines is one of the best ways of keeping your child healthy.

Vaccines are generally considered safe and are constantly monitored for adverse reactions by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In fact, the benefit of being protected from a serious -- even life-threatening -- childhood disease like hepatitis B or polio is far greater than the small risk for problems, such as serious allergic reactions, that might be caused by vaccines. And studies have yet to find a link between any childhood vaccination and autism.

There are some children who should not get certain shots, however, such as those with certain types of cancer or other conditions. Kids under 2 should not receive the nasal mist version of flu vaccine because it's made with the live flu virus (but all children over 6 months should get a seasonal flu shot each year).