|
Simultaneous Vaccinations Raises Fever Risk
by Sierra Tobias, age 13
A
recent study of 530 children aged six months to two years in
The
Journal of the American Medical Association Pediatrics
(JAMA) suggests that children are at a 37.6 percent chance of
developing a fever if simultaneously vaccinated for the flu and
pneumococcal disease. This is a stark contrast from the fever rates
for children who receive only one of the vaccines at a time. In fact,
children who received only the flu vaccine had a 7.5 percent rate of
developing a fever within one day, while children who received only
the pneumococcal vaccine had a 9.5 percent rate of developing a fever
within one day.
However,
this research does not justify avoiding the vaccines, according to
Dr. Melissa S. Stockwell, assistant professor of pediatrics at
Columbia University Medical Center. She posits that simultaneously
receiving the vaccines both increases their duration of protection
and eliminates the need to return for a second doctor visit.
“We
think it’s important that children be vaccinated, “Dr. Stockwell
said. Research further suggests that the benefits of receiving the
vaccines at the same time outweigh the risks. Dr. Stockwell
ultimately asserts that simultaneously giving vaccines is “the best
way to protect children against these serious diseases.”
[Source:
The New York Times
]
|
|