Vaccines have side effects.
Fortunately, they are usually very mild.
And understanding that vaccines are safe, makes getting their kids vaccinated an easy decision for most parents, as they understand that the many benefits of vaccines far outweigh any possible risks.
How Do We Know Vaccines Are Safe?
If you are on the fence about vaccines, simply saying vaccines are safe might not be enough for you.
Would it help to see all of the organizations that work to ensure that vaccines are safe?
Several post-licensure vaccine safety systems at the CDC and FDA monitor for safety issues, including VAERS, the Vaccine Safety Datalink, and the Clinical Immunization Safety Assessment (CISA) Project, in addition to other global vaccine safety systems.
“Over the previous 40 years the IOM has conducted over 60 vaccine safety studies, including this comprehensive review of the immunization schedule. The IOM committee did not find any evidence of major safety concerns related to receiving on-time vaccinations according to the Recommended Immunization Schedule for children. They concluded that this should help to reassure stakeholders. Further, they noted that while the receiving on-time vaccines was not harmful, it was strongly associated with reducing vaccine-preventable diseases. ”
American Academy of Pediatrics on Vaccine Safety: Examine the Evidence
Still wondering how we really know vaccines are safe?
- vaccines go through a long period of pre-licensure testing and evaluation when being developed to make sure they are safe and that they work before they are approved
- vaccines are tested together
- there are long-term studies on vaccine safety
- vaccines are continually monitored after they are made, to make sure they maintain their potency, are kept at the proper temperature, and other quality testing
- 40 years of safety reports from the Institute of Medicine (IOM)
- reports from the Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety, which has reviewed and commented on everything from aluminum adjuvants and the potential for immunogenic overload (too many too soon) to the safety of HPV vaccines
And it is important to know that much of the information that you hear and read that is trying to scare you about vaccines and vaccine ingredients is simply not true and easily debunked.
What to Know About Vaccine Safety
From years and years of pre-licensure vaccine safety testing to continual post-licensure vaccine safety monitoring, we can be confident that vaccines are safe.
More on Knowing Vaccines are Safe
- Why Are You Still Worried About the MMR Vaccine?
- Why Aren’t Vaccines Regulated like Drugs?
- Is the MMR Safe for 6-Month-Old Babies?
- Using and Misusing VAERS Reports
- More Questions to Help You Become a Vaccine Skeptic
- Are Vaccines Safe?
- Ask the Experts about Vaccine Safety
- AAP – Vaccine Safety: Examine the Evidence
- CDC – Vaccine Safety
- CDC – History of Vaccine Safety
- WHO – Introduction to Vaccine Safety
- Vaccine Safety and Your Child: Separating Fact From Fiction
- Few health problems are caused by vaccines, IOM report finds
- Study – Safety of vaccines used for routine immunization of U.S. children: a systematic review
- Vaccine Safety Systematic Review
- If vaccines are safe, why has the US gov. paid out $3 BILLION to vaccine-injured families?
- Are the recommended childhood vaccine schedules evidence-based?
- Study – Post licensure surveillance of influenza vaccines in the Vaccine Safety Datalink in the 2013-2014 and 2014-2015 seasons
- Vaccine Safety Study Bibliography
- The Facts Behind Vaccine Safety
- Safety of Flu and Pertussis Vaccines in Pregnancy Assessed
- Vaccine Safety and Your Child: Separating Fact From Fiction
- Vaccine Safety Systematic Review
- Vaccine Safety
- Vaccines are safe and effective–vaccine refusers ignore the facts
- Debunking myths about vaccine testing and safety
- Vaccine Benefits vs. Risks
Save