Study: Serious adverse events associated with pediatric vaccines extremely rare
ELK GROVE VILLAGE, Ill. — A study published Tuesday online by the journal Pediatrics found that the protective benefits provided by vaccines for children significantly outweighed the extremely rare possiblity of an adverse event.
"Our findings may allay some patient, caregiver and health care provider concerns," wrote Margaret Maglione, lead researcher on the study. "Strength of evidence is high that MMR vaccine is not associated with the onset of autism in children; this conclusion supports findings of all previous reviews on the topic," she noted. "There is also high-strength evidence that MMR, DTaP, Td, Hib, and hepatitis B vaccines are not associated with childhood leukemia."
And while evidence was found for an association of several serious adverse events with vaccines, these events were extremely rare, Maglione noted. "For example, strength of evidence is moderate for association of vaccines against rotavirus with intussusception (a serious disorder in which part of the intestine slides into an adjacent part of the intestine). "Although one large U.S. epidemiologic study found no association, a recent analysis of the U.S. PRISM program 90 found both RotaTeq and Rotarix associated with intussusception in the short term." Estimated rates were 1.1 to 1.5 cases per 100,000 doses of RotaTeq and 5.1 cases per 100,000 doses of Rotarix.