IOM report: Vaccines generally safe, no link to autism

Aug 26 2011

But the new report, which is more than 600 pages long, will probably not put to rest the contentious debate that surround vaccine safety.

The Associated Press: Report: Vaccines Generally Safe, Some Side Effects
Vaccines can cause certain side effects but serious ones appear very rare -; and there's no link with autism and Type 1 diabetes, the Institute of Medicine says in the first comprehensive safety review in 17 years. The report released Thursday isn't aimed at nervous parents. And the side effects it lists as proven are some that doctors long have known about, such as fever-caused seizures and occasional brain inflammation. Instead, the review comes at the request of the government's Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, which as the name implies, pays damages to people who are injured by vaccines. Federal law requires this type of independent review as officials update side effects on that list to be sure they agree with the latest science (Neergaard, 8/25).

The Seattle Times: Thorough Study Likely Won't Put Vaccine Worries To Rest
A new report scrutinizing the risks of eight common vaccines is over 600 pages long, combs through more than 1,000 research papers, and is the best analysis of suspected vaccine-caused medical problems that's ever been done, says the high-powered committee that wrote it. Even so, it's not likely to end the contentious debate about vaccine safety in Washington state, which has the highest rate in the nation of children who enter school without the required vaccines. A hotly contested law passed this year bars parents from simply signing to exempt their children; starting this fall, they must include a doctor's certification that they've been informed of vaccines' risks and benefits (Ostrom, 8/25).

The Hill: IOM Finds No Link Between Vaccines And Autism
The report found "convincing evidence" that certain vaccines can cause 14 adverse effects -; including seizures, brain inflammation and fainting -; in rare cases. It also found "indicative though less clear data" linking certain vaccines to four other effects, including allergic reactions and temporary joint pain. Concerns that vaccinating children can make them autistic, however, were disproved. "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," IOM committee Chairwoman Ellen Wright Clayton said in a statement. "The findings should be reassuring to parents that few health problems are clearly connected to immunizations, and these effects occur relatively rarely. And repeated study has made clear that some health problems are not caused by vaccines," (Pecquet, 8/25).

NPR's Shots blog: Report: Vaccines Are Safe, Hazards Few And Far Between
Vaccines do come with risks for trouble, but problems are generally rare, according to a new review of the evidence from the Institute of Medicine. ... the committee came out loud and clear on the controversial question which drove the report. Do vaccines -; such as the one against measles, mumps and rubella -; cause autism? Nope (Shute, 8/25).

Medscape: Few Adverse Events Linked to Vaccines, IOM Panel Says
Analyzing more than 1000 research articles, the IOM committee weighed epidemiological, clinical, and biological evidence for adverse events associated with the 8 vaccines. ... All 8 vaccines are covered by the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, and the IOM expects that the committee findings will provide the program with scientific guidance as it adjudicates injury claims (Lowes, 8/25).