Americans May Be Over-Vaccinated; Is T1DM An Adverse Effect?

Last week, an article published in The New England Journal of Medicine written by Oregon Health & Science University researchers suggested that Americans may be over-vaccinating ourselves. Specifically, the authors found that antibodies from some vaccines actually stay around in the bloodstream for much longer than previously thought, which means that the current schedules for some vaccinations may be overkill. The study found that protection from conditions such as measles, mumps and rubella following exposure to the diseases were, in most cases, maintained for life. For more background, see The Wall Street Journal health blog posting here.

"If we can continue to improve our vaccines, someday we might be able to give one shot and give lifelong immunity," said Mr. Slifka, associate professor at the Oregon university's Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute.

Some vaccines certainly require less frequent re-vaccinations. Indeed, some countries such as Sweden have changed their vaccination policies and doctors in that country are now advised to offer tetanus re-vaccination only once every 30 years.

While many public health advocates claim that booster shots of vaccines is not harmful, others aren't as easily convinced. Some groups (I am think of autism advocates, for example) argue that vaccinations are the reason behind the growth in the brain disorder that affects 3 areas of mental development: communication, social interaction, and creative/imaginative play. However, while there is conclusive evidence that the artificial preservative known as thimerosal used in some vaccines is linked to autism, the fact is that the use of thimerosal has declined significantly since the 1980's, and is now very uncommon in vaccines sold today. Parents can, of course, verify the absence of thimerosal before having their child given a particular vaccine.

Ironically, in spite of the relatively weak link between vaccines and autism, advocates against vaccinations working on behalf of that condition have proven far more vocal than other, often more dangerous conditions such as type 1 diabetes. For whatever reason, the findings of Dr. J. Bart Classen, a Maryland immunologist proving that certain vaccines are the largest cause of type 1 diabetes in children have received less public attention. Specifically, Dr. Classen's data shows that vaccines cause approximately 80% of cases of type 1 diabetes in children who have received multiple vaccines starting after 2 month of life. Specifically, his data included vaccines for pertussis, mumps, rubella (mumps and rubella vaccines are among those found to be given too frequently in the U.S.), as well as hepatitis B, hemophilus influenza and others. However, the data indicates people with vaccine-induced type 1 diabetes may not develop the disease until 4 or more years after receiving a vaccine. He argues that its not the vaccine itself, but rather the recommended schedule, and that more can be done to limit the negative impact. For more complete background information on the vaccination link between some vaccines and type 1 diabetes (including data on class-action lawsuits on behalf of people with type 1 diabetes pending who received certain vaccinations) please see here for details.