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Increased vaccine exposure not linked to increased risk of non-vaccine-targeted infections in children
Clinical Question
Do multiple vaccines in early childhood weaken the immune system and increase the risk of infections not targeted by vaccines?
Bottom line
This study found no association between the risk of non-vaccine-targeted infections and cumulative vaccine or maximum one-day antigen exposure in children aged 24 months through 47 months. 3b
Reference
Study design: Case-control
Funding: Government
Setting: Population-based
Synopsis
Some parents avoid or delay vaccines in their children because of concern that too many immunizations weaken the immune system and increase the risk for future infections. These investigators identified 193 cases of children, aged 24 through 47 months, given a diagnosis of a non-vaccine-targeted infection (eg, lower and upper respiratory infection, gastrointestinal infection, and other viral and bacterial infection) in the inpatient or emergency department (ED) setting. Each case with matched for age, sex, site of diagnosis, race/ethnicity, and chronic disease status by up to 4 control cases (n = 751) without an inpatient or ED record of a non-vaccine-targeted infection. Vaccine antigen exposure was estimated from birth through age 23 months for all cases and matched control cases. No significant difference occurred in the estimated mean cumulative vaccine or maximum one-day antigen exposure between the cases and controls.
Reviewer
David C. Slawson, MD
Professor and Vice Chair of Family Medicine for Education and Scholarship
Atrium Health
Professor of Family Medicine, UNC Chapel Hill
Charlotte, NC
Comments
Sad they have to do yet another vaccine study to prove that vaccines are safe. Andrew Wakefield you have done more damage than you would ever know!
We need to continue to talk routinely with our patients about the extreme importance of immunization in health care. The whole population, especially the younger population is unaware, to a great degree, of the reduction of disease burden that immunizations provide to us. It is a shame and perhaps even criminal that other groups of professionals advise against immunization.
Perhaps we need a public advertising campaign with graphic pictures and just a few words (less than 10) showing what people had to deal with before immunizations were available.
I have come to realize that patients/ parents think that we injecting antibodies into the body and that is why they have the notion that it would weaken our immune system .
I explain to them that we are injecting an antigen mimicking the antigen of the targeted germ. We rely on the body's immune system to perceive the antigen as that of the actual germ and start producing antibodies to fight against it. Because it is not an infection, the antibodies drop but the blueprint for producing antibodies against the targeted germ is stored in the immune system's memory bank. When the person who had been vaccinated is exposed to the particular germ, it will trigger the memory to develop the antibodies to that particular illness quicker and stronger. For people who have not been vaccinated (what we call primed), they might not be able to build up sufficient antibodies before they succumb to the illness.
I use this analogy to make it easier to understand. If countries want to defend themselves against enemies, they would not wait until they are under attack before they would train their soldiers. They must have the soldiers ready for battle at all times. Likewise, the vaccination is to prepare the body so that the person can have a better chance of fighting off the infection. It does not affect the rest of the immune system.
good poem
ood information