Vaccines proven by research to be safe

A new analysis of 166 studies on childhood vaccines has come to a resoundingly clear conclusion: Vaccination does not cause autism and is extremely safe and effective.The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality commissioned a systematic review on the subject in response to the rise of the anti-vaccine movement which has been blamed for recent outbreaks of measles and whooping cough across the country.

Researchers looked at dozens of the most scientifically rigorous studies on vaccinations conducted since a similarly comprehensive 2011 review. They found no link between the measles vaccine and autism; in fact, children who did not receive the vaccine had the same incidence of autism as kids who did. “Adverse effects” from vaccination do occur—including fever-related seizures and intestinal blockages—but the study found these reactions were “extremely rare” and treatable. Clearly, the authors wrote, the benefits of vaccination far outweigh the tiny risk of side effects. The childhood diseases vaccinations prevent, they pointed out, can cause “blindness, deafness, developmental delay, epilepsy, or paralysis and may also result in death”
“There is a lot of misinformation out there,” co-author Margaret Maglione tells USAToday. “Anyone can put anything on the Internet.”