3 Adverse Reactions Vaccine Critics Commonly Cite

Opponents of vaccines say it is their right to decide whether their children will be immunized. Factoring into their decision are concerns about the possibility of adverse reactions to the drugs, even as the scientific community argues that these shots are crucial to pubic health and largely not harmful.

Here are three adverse reactions cited by vaccine critics.

1. Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)
Critics said the pertussis vaccine used to prevent whooping cough was to blame for this silent killer of infants. Such a suggestion went back as far as 1974, Prevention reported. However, research, which included a federal study of 1,200 babies, failed to determine a correlation between the shots and SIDS.

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2. Autism
Critics of vaccines have long blamed vaccines for the growing rate of children being diagnosed with autism.

Research by Andrew Wakefield published in 1998 and later retracted is credited with sparking the anti-vaccination movement, Newsweek reported. The study suggested a link between the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine and autism.

Some charged that a preservative found in the MMR vaccine thimerosal, which contained mercury, was to blame for autism and ADHD rates. A British study of more than 100,000 children, however, found no increase in those children who took the vaccine, Prevention noted.

3. Seizures and permanent brain damage
The DTaP vaccine is used to keep children from getting diphtheria, tetanus or pertussis disease. Commonly, it can cause fever, or tenderness at the injection site, as well as vomiting in the one to three days after the shot, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. Other more significant symptoms like seizures, high fevers, lowered consciousness and permanent brain damage are extremely rare. The CDC says getting any of those diseases "is much riskier than getting the DTaP vaccine."

This article is for information only and is not intended as medical advice. Talk with your doctor about your specific health and medical needs.

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