Should Vaccines for Children Be Given All in the Same Visit?

Childhood vaccines have come under scrutiny as some sources suggest that childhood vaccinations could be linked to disease such as type 1 diabetes and even autism. The concern is that giving children too many vaccines in a short period of time could overwhelm their immune system causing it to over-respond and triggering autoimmune diseases such as type 1 diabetes. At the other extreme, a child's immune system could be weakened by the exposure to too many vaccines, leading to a greater risk of infection. Is there any truth to these ideas?

Vaccinations for Children: Are There Risks?

A study carried out by the Institute of Medicine found no link between childhood vaccines and the risk of autoimmune disease - and no evidence that vaccinated children have a greater risk of infection after receiving a vaccine. Reassuringly, infection rates or rates of type 1 diabetes were no higher in vaccinated kids.

There is also no evidence that the preservative thimersol used in vaccines is linked to autism. Despite this, the FDA is working to reduce the amounts of this thimersol in vaccinations used to immunize children to better ensure their safety.

Now, a more recent study carried out at the Robert Koch Institute in the Netherlands offers more reassurance to parents. It shows that childhood vaccinations aren't linked to a greater risk of infection in kids and they don't predispose them to allergic diseases such as asthma, which is another concern since vaccines stimulate the immune system. Kids who get vaccinated are no more or less likely to get asthma or allergies than kids who aren't.

Should Parents Feel Comfortable Giving Their Children Multiple Vaccinations at Once?

Most experts believe that giving multiple childhood vaccines in a single visit poses no risk to children especially since the vaccine load children get has been greatly reduced over the last 30 years. But why take the chance? Children get more vaccinations than they ever have before. Until this is better researched, it's safest to space out vaccinations for children so they're not getting multiple vaccines during a single visit.

According to an article in Time magazine, vaccinating children saves over 33,000 live each year and protects them from the ravages of potentially life-threatening diseases such as polio. It's important to vaccinate kids to give them protection against childhood diseases, but talk to your doctor about giving your child these vaccinations one at a time to reduce the vaccine load. It may take more visits - but why take a chance? Make sure they're protected, but do it in the safest manner possible.

References:

Institute of Medicine. "Immunization Safety Review: Multiple Immunizations and Immune Dysfunction"

FDA. "Thimerosal in Vaccines"