American Academy of Pediatrics Emphasizes Vaccine Safety

Adapted from the AAP press release: https://goo.gl/uF3bO5.

In response to news reports suggesting a possible new federal commission on immunizations, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) reiterates that vaccines protect children's health and save lives.

Vaccines prevent life-threatening diseases, including forms of cancer.

The AAP says vaccines have been part of the fabric of our society for decades and are the most significant medical innovation of our time.

Claims that vaccines are linked to autism, or are unsafe when administered according to the recommended schedule, have been disproven by a robust body of medical literature.

The Centers of Disease and Control (CDC) report there is no link between vaccines and autism.

Recent estimates from CDC's Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network found that about 1 in 68 children have been identified with ASD in communities across the United States. In 2011, an Institute of Medicine (IOM) report on eight vaccines given to children and adults found that with rare exceptions, these vaccines are very safe.

Delaying vaccines only leaves a child at risk of disease.

Vaccines keep communities healthy, and protect some of the most vulnerable in our society, including the elderly, and children who are too young to be vaccinated or have compromised immune systems.

Pediatricians partner with parents to provide the best care for their children, and what is best for children is to be fully vaccinated. We stand ready to work with the White House and the federal government to share the extensive scientific evidence demonstrating the safety of vaccines, including the recommended schedule. Click here for the CDC Vaccine Price List.

The authors of the press release are: Fernando Stein, MD, FAAP, President, American Academy of Pediatrics, and Karen Remley, MD, MBA, MPH, FAAP, CEO/Executive Vice President, American Academy of Pediatrics.

The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 66,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults.