More children are developing asthma than in the past. The reason for this isn't known. One proposed cause, childhood immunizations, was recently studied by doctors at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
They evaluated the medical records of 167,240 children enrolled in four health maintenance programs from 1991 to 1997. All the records were computerized. During the 18 month to 6 year follow up, they found 18,407 children (11%) who developed asthma. Nationally, around 10% of all children have asthma.
Their analysis of this huge amount of data found no relationship between diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis vaccine (DPT), oral polio vaccine, or mumps, measles, and rubella vaccine and the risk of developing asthma.
This study, like other recent studies, supports the safety of childhood immunizations. Their benefits of protection from childhood diseases greatly outweigh any slight risk of side effects or other problems.
Pediatric Infectious Diseases Journal, 06/02, pp 498-504.
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