Your baby's doctor likely wants to give her a series of vaccinations during the first year of life and beyond, but you may have heard conflicting reports on whether it's necessary, or even safe. There are a variety of side effects that can occur from vaccinations, and it's up to you to decide whether you feel the benefits of getting shots are bigger than the risks.
History
Vaccinations were first developed in the early 1900s, and their supporters claim that they helped to eradicate many diseases. During the early and middle parts of the century, there was a high death rate from diseases like polio, smallpox and chicken pox, so vaccinations were lifesavers.
However, as vaccines were being developed, our society was also becoming more sanitary, with improved water supplies, sewage control, cleaner roads and new medicines like antibiotics. Vaccination critics claim these advances are the real reasons for the reduction of diseases over the past 100 years.
Also, some of those diseases are now considered very rare or treatable, so the need to vaccinate against them is being questioned by parents who are concerned that children today are getting far more shots than ever before.
Immediate Side Effects
Adverse reactions from vaccinations range from mild to serious. Some side effects that have occurred immediately following a vaccination include swelling, tenderness, redness, itchiness, fever, tiredness, loss of appetite, allergic reactions, seizures, convulsions, deafness, central nervous system disease and even death.
Delayed Side Effects
Delayed reactions are harder to measure, but may include epilepsy, immune system disorders, behavior disorders, nervous system injury and learning difficulties. According to an article by Diana Fatayerji, M.S., Ph.D., in Inspired Parenting Magazine's Spring 2004 issue, "Adverse reactions are believed to be a result of contaminants contained in the vaccines, including viruses, bacterial toxins and chemicals used in the preparation or preserving of the vaccine."
Frequency
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, any vaccine can cause side effects. For instance, the DTaP shot vaccinates against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis, or whooping cough. A quarter of children who get it will develop fever, redness, swelling, soreness or tenderness. Over 30 percent will experience fussiness, while 10 percent will be tired or lose their appetite. One out of 14,000 will have a seizure, and one out of 1,000 will cry non-stop for at least three hours. Serious allergic reactions occur in less than one out of a million, but can include long-term coma, severe seizures, or permanent brain damage.
Controversy
Because of these side effects, there is a controversy over the safety and efficacy of vaccinations, and whether they may have contributed to an increase in allergies, asthma and infections due to a weakening of children's immune systems. According to a study published in the Epidemiology journal in 1997, called "Is infant immunization a risk factor for childhood asthma or allergy?" by T. Kemp and colleagues from the Wellington School of Medicine, New Zealand, asthma has been increasing since the introduction of vaccinations, and the report cites other clinical studies that have confirmed an association between the two.
According to Harris L. Coulter, Ph.D, author of "Vaccination, Social Violence, and Criminality: The Medical Assault on the American Brain," the development of vaccinations also correlates with an increase in autism, ADD and other nervous system related diseases and even criminal behavior.
Studies
Scientific studies are often measured against a control group, but there have been no studies comparing the side effects experienced by vaccinated children to a group who did not receive a vaccine. Instead, vaccination safety is usually decided by comparing it to another vaccine, or assessing how many adverse reactions occur within a very narrow time frame after the shot is given. Because of this, other possible long-term effects are overlooked, and it's difficult for parents to decide whether the pros of getting vaccinations truly outweigh the cons of potential side effects or not.
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