The multiplicity of childhood immunization does not increase the risk of hospitalization for non- targeted infections

Children who received multiple vaccines are not exposed to a greater risk of hospitalization for infectious disease untargeted by vaccination , provide Danish researchers in the "Journal of the American Medical Association ."
Over the past two decades , access to vaccines developed and the vaccination schedule of small has become extremely complex , causing concern among some who fear that the multiplication of vaccine injections or administration of multivalent vaccines ( such that MMR ) cause dysfunction of the immune system , resulting in the development of non-target infectious disease .

In 2002, a meta-analysis conducted by the U.S. Institute of Medicine concluded that the existence of biological mechanisms by which multiple vaccinations could influence the risk of non-target infectious diseases. Clinical and epidemiological evidence for such an effect are yet lacking , some studies have even shown a beneficial effect otherwise .

To shed light on the link between multiple vaccines administered during childhood (DTP , MMR , pertussis, Hib , ...) and the risk of hospitalization for a non-targeted infection, Anders Hviid and colleagues at the Statens Serum Institut in Copenhagen examined data from a population-based study between 1990 and 2001 to 805,206 children.

In particular, they examined the information on the types and number of vaccine doses , hospitalizations for infections, including those affecting the upper respiratory tract , viral and bacterial pneumonia , septicemia , infections of the central nervous system , meningitis and bacterial diarrhea.

Of the 42 possible combinations (6 vaccines and 7 categories of infectious diseases) , only the one between the Hib vaccine and acute upper respiratory tract infection resulted in side effects.

" Conversely , the 15 observed protective associations suggest that vaccination may be protective of non-target effects. [ ... ] In conclusion, our results do not support the hypothesis of an increased risk of infections after non-target risk injection of childhood vaccines, " the authors conclude.