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October 9, 2002

U.S. IMMUNIZATION NEWS

"Flu Shot Guidance Renews Old Fears"

St. Petersburg Times (FL) (www.sptimes.com) (10/07/02); Brink, Graham

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently began encouraging parents to have children between six months and 23 months old vaccinated against influenza, but a minority of parents and doctors fear that the vaccines that still use the mercury-based thimerosal preservative could cause autism or related disorders in children.  The connection between thimerosal and autism has not been definitively proven, but some think the risk is too high, especially for children who may already have a mercury build-up.  Roughly 20 children out of 10,000 in the above age group are hospitalized each year for flu or its complications, and they are effective carriers of flu as well. CDC infectious disease specialist Dr. Scott Harper notes that the risk of complications from the flu shot is low, particularly when compared to the benefits the vaccine provides.  "This decision was based on facts, facts that show that many children will avoid getting sick, not unproven theories," he said.  The Food and Drug Administration, the National Institutes of Health, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the National Network for Immunization Information also question a link between vaccines and autism, arguing that the theory is based more on coincidence than hard facts.

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