Pandemics, Epidemics, and Vaccines: History, Science, & Controversies: Vaccine Side Effects & Fears

Claims that vaccines cause autism have led some parents to delay or refuse vaccines for their children. The most common claims are that autism is caused by MMR vaccine, vaccines that contain thimerosal, or too many vaccines. Many scientific studies have been done to test these claims. None has shown any correlation between vaccines and autism.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD)is a developmental disability that can cause significant social, communication, and behavioral challenges. Recent estimates from CDC’s Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network found that about 1 in 54 children have been identified with ASD in communities across the United States. CDC is committed to providing essential data on ASD, searching for causes of and factors that increase the risk for ASD, and developing resources that help identify children with ASD as early as possible.

Each of us is our own best health advocate. Many times, our loved ones depend on us for information and protection too. With so much information – and sometimes incorrect information – available today, learning the facts before making health decisions is very important. These pages will help answer common questions about vaccine safety.

Children under 12 will soon be eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine. Here’s how to get them ready.

Scientists disagree on whether there could be a link between the rising number of children with the developmental disorder autism and certain childhood vaccines.

Working alongside community leaders & networks to dismantle barriers to vaccines.

COVID-19-related anxiety and health-related fears were associated with higher vaccine acceptance, whereas the fear of social and economic consequences showed the contrary direction. These findings highlight the need to differentiate between several types of fears and anxiety to predict their influence on vaccine acceptance, and provide important information and an essential base for future studies and interventions.

A decade ago most researchers agreed that we needed to study vaccines in relation to autism. We had to reconcile the fact that the number of vaccines children were receiving was increasing, and at the same time, the number of children who were being diagnosed with autism also was on the rise. Fortunately this was a question that could be studied – and answered – by science.

Focus now on myths surrounding the safety of vaccines, including the mumps-measles-rubella (MMR) vaccine and its false link to autism in children. Because of the unwarranted fear and confusion among parents, this particular myth has led to decreased vaccination rates and the reemergence of serious infectious diseases.

Tara Haelle will focus on vaccine hesitancy and vaccine refusal. This is a global health threat that lurks unnoticed until it erupts into unpredictable disease outbreaks that are difficult to contain. She explains what underlies the fear and hesitancy that many people have toward vaccines, why it's not as irrational as some believe, and what's necessary to address it. Tara Haelle is a freelance science and multimedia journalist who writes regularly at Forbes, NPR, Scientific American, Slate, Medscape, and other U.S.-based publications. She co-wrote “The Informed Parent: A Science-Based Guide to the First Four Years” with science journalist Emily Willingham, and she blogs about science and parenting at Red Wine & Applesauce. She holds a master's in photojournalism from the University of Texas at Austin and has published her images in several publications.

Dr. Robert Jacobson, Chair of Pediatrics at Mayo Clinic tells parents what side effects to watch for and how to prevent common side effects such as fever and redness at the injection site.