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Fears about the impact of multiple vaccine shots on child development are baseless, research has claimed.
A study published in the journal Pediatrics said there was no evidence to link impaired mental development and conditions such as autism with the practice of inoculating children against many diseases at the same time.
Reviewing data for more than 1,000 pre-teen youngsters who had undergone extensive tests of IQ, memory, attention, and language, Dr Michael J Smith, of the University of Louisville School of Medicine in Kentucky, found no significant difference in scores between those who had been given many shots and those who had been given a small number.
“A lot of parents are concerned that children receive too many vaccines too soon,” he said.
“Our study shows that there is only a downside to delaying vaccines, and that is an increased susceptibility to potentially deadly infectious diseases.
“We hope these findings will encourage more parents to vaccinate according to schedule, and reassure them that they’re making a safe choice when they do so.”
Copyright Press Association 2010
Pediatrics
