Vaccine Schedule Safe from Institute of Medicine Study

The debate over vaccine safety seems to linger as parents are often concerned about the amount of vaccines required for their children and why they need so many.  Health care providers follow the schedule that is created by the U.S. Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP).  The current schedule is set to protect children from 14 disease pathogens by inoculating them at a time when they are most vulnerable.  Under the current recommendations children under 2 years of age may receive up to 24 vaccines by their second birthday.  In addition they may be required to receive as many as 5 vaccines in a single office visit.  The Food and Drug Administration has applied rigorous testing to try and make the vaccines as safe as possible but all vaccines carry some risk.

The Institute of Medicine recently completed a study. They solicited feedback from a diverse group of stake­holders, including researchers; advocacy groups; federal agencies and advisory committees; the general public, including parents; the health care system and providers; international organiza­tions; the media; nongovernmental organizations; philanthropic organizations; and vaccine-related industries, distributors, and private investors.

“The com­mittee’s review did not reveal an evidence base suggesting that the U.S. childhood immuniza­tion schedule is linked to autoimmune diseases, asthma, hypersensitivity, seizures, child develop­mental disorders, learning or developmental dis­orders, or attention deficit or disruptive disorders.”[1] The committee called for further studies to be done of the immunization schedule using existing data systems.

Parents should continue to get their children vaccinated. “Delaying shots only prolongs the time that babies and children are vulnerable to “devastating diseases,” says co-author Pauline Thomas, an associate professor of preventive medicine at New Jersey Medical School.”[2]

“There is ample evidence that it’s not safe not to follow the schedule,” Thomas says. “It’s well known that in places where vaccines are delayed or missed, that’s where we are beginning to see vaccine-preventable disease outbreaks.” [3]