Vaccines generally safe, some side effects

A major U.S. review declared Thursday that vaccines overall are safe, although like any kind of health care, certain ones can cause some side effects. The Institute of Medicine 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. "Vaccines are important tools in preventing serious infectious disease across the lifespan, from infancy through adulthood. All healthcare interventions, however, carry the possibility of risk and vaccines are no exception," said Dr. Ellen Wright Clayton of Vanderbilt University, who chaired the institute panel. The report may help reassure parents worried by a small but vocal anti-vaccine movement.The review is aimed at a government program that compensates people who are injured by vaccines, and need information about proven side effects.