NPR News, August 25, 2011:
"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 independent panel considered adverse effects from eight common childhood vaccines, and found that in many cases there wasn't enough evidence to if say there was a problem. But 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.
"The MMR vaccine does not cause autism," Ellen Clayton, a pediatrician who chaired the panel, said in a media briefing Thursday. "The MMR and the DTaP do not cause Type 1 diabetes. And the killed flu vaccine does not cause Bell's palsy, and it does not trigger episodes of asthma."
The group found convincing evidence for 14 health problems, including seizures and brain inflammation, and identified the vaccines that are linked to those problems. The panel of experts looked at both studies of whole populations, and individual case reports of adverse events.
"We looked very hard, and we did not find many adverse effects," Clayton said. "I think that's really good news. It's really clear that the vaccines we administer to children have saved lots of lives, and have avoided a lot of suffering."
Two live vaccines — MMR and one against chickenpox — were found to be responsible for most of the serious side effects. The committee found clear evidence that the MMR can cause fever-related seizures, which usually cause no long-term harm. The MMR also can cause brain inflammation in people with immune system problems."
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