WASHINGTON - A major review declares that vaccines overall are safe, although like any kind of health care, certain ones can cause some side effects.
The Institute of Medicine's exhaustive review is aimed at a U.S government program that compensates people who are injured by vaccines, and thus need information about proven side effects.
The review found convincing evidence of 14 already known side effects linked to various vaccines, such as allergic reactions and fever-triggered seizures from the measles vaccine. But like other scientific reports, it found no evidence linking immunization and autism or another serious problem, Type 1 diabetes.
The report may help reassure parents worried by a small but vocal anti-vaccine movement. Some vaccine-preventable diseases, including measles, are on the rise.
