These Numbers Show Just How Safe Vaccines Are

Anti-vaccine advocate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said that President-elect Donald Trump asked him to lead a new government commission on vaccine safety. But science on this issue is already clear; numerous studies show that vaccines are safe and effective, and that serious side effects are rare. On Jan. 10, Kennedy met with the president-elect at Trump Tower, and later told reporters about the new commission. However, the Trump administration did not confirm that such a commission was in the works. A spokesperson for Trump said only that the president-elect was “exploring the possibility of forming a committee on autism,” according to The New York Times. This response may reference the proposed, but discredited link between the MMR vaccine and autism. Members of the medical community quickly expressed strong concerns about the possibility of a government committee on vaccine safety, headed by an anti-vaccine advocate. “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,” Dr. Fernando Stein, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), and Dr. Karen Remley, executive vice president of the AAP, said in a statement. “Vaccines are safe. Vaccines are effective. Vaccines save lives,” the statement said. But how do doctors know this? First, the United States requires that all vaccines undergo extensive testing on safety and ...
Source: Science - The Huffington Post - Category: Science Source Type: news