Two new independent studies have both concluded there is no link between measles-mumps-rubella vaccine (MMR) and a rise in the number of children diagnosed with autism. One study was published in the British Medical Journal, and the other in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Another recent American study published in Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine found that the MMR vaccine and other vaccines containing measles do not increase the risk for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) or Crohn's disease. The study also found that children vaccinated with MMR who were older than 18 months were at significantly less risk for Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis or IBD.
Cot death links
Immunising babies at two, three and four months of age is not linked to the sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and may even protect against it, according to a study published in the British Medical Journal.
The primary immunisation programme was speeded up in 1990 with the vaccinations now being given at two, three and four months, instead of at ages three, five, and nine months. The new vaccination ages correspond with the peak age for the incidence of cot death, leading to suspicions that the two events might be related.
To investigate whether the accelerated immunisation programme is associated with SIDS, the researchers conducted a large study as part of the Confidential Enquiry into Stillbirths and Deaths in Infancy. They found that the infants who died were less likely to have had the immunisations.
To JAB or not
Children whose parents decide not to have them immunised have a higher risk of contacting measles and whooping cough, a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association has found.
Individual state laws in the US may require mandatory immunisations before children can start daycare or school, but at least 48 states allow exemptions from vaccination for religious reasons, and 15 states allow exemptions for philosophical reasons.
However, a study in Colorado found children who had exemptions were 22 times more likely to get measles than vaccinated children. They were also nearly six times more likely to get whooping cough than vaccinated children. In children of daycare or primary school age the risks were more than 60-fold greater for contracting measles and 16-fold greater for whooping cough.The decision not to vaccinate must balance individual rights with social responsibility, say the researchers, and everyone should understand the risks of not vaccinating children.
Delays and early birth
Babies born prematurely should have their immunisations when they are two, three and four months old, the same as full-term infants, rather than having them delayed, say paediatricians writing in the journal Communicable Disease and Public Health. Waiting longer because of concerns about their weight is unnecessary and puts babies at risk.
