For Release: April 6, 2000    10:30 a.m. (ET)

Washington, D.C. - In response to a U.S. House Government Reform Committee hearing today, the American Academy of Pediatrics wants to reassure parents that vaccines are the safest way to protect children against potentially devastating infectious diseases.

"What a tragedy it would be for any child to suffer the consequences of a disease that could have been prevented by vaccination," AAP President Donald Cook, M.D., said.

If parents refuse to immunize their children, this country will see a resurgence of epidemics of these diseases. The measles epidemic of l989-1991 in this country affected more than 55,000 people; 11,000 were hospitalized and more than 120 died. A major cause of the epidemic was failure to vaccinate children on time at 12 - 15 months of age.

The congressional hearing is focusing on autism, including an unsubstantiated link to vaccines such as MMR (measles, mumps and rubella).

"While I support any effort to discover the reason a child has autism, current scientific data indicate that vaccines are not the cause," Dr. Cook said.

Autism manifests itself in the first three years of life, which is the same time a child is being vaccinated, but timing is the only link. A study in the British medical journal Lancet found similar autism rates among children who received the MMR vaccine and those who had not. A report commissioned by Britain's Medical Research Council and released this week found that there was no link between MMR and autism or bowel disorders.

The American Academy of Pediatrics supports aggressive research into the causes, treatment and prevention of autism as many questions remain. The perceived increase in autism cases could be attributed to a number of factors, and additional study is needed.

Vaccines are developed through rigorous research designed to ensure safe and effective products. These products are then subjected to another level of intense scrutiny in order to assure that recommendations about immunization practices and procedures reflect the best available science. Once approved for use, there is a robust system of checks and balances that monitors the safety and efficacy of vaccines.

A child's chance of being harmed by an infectious disease like measles or mumps is far greater than any risk of being harmed by the vaccine. These diseases have not been eliminated, only kept at bay through widespread childhood immunization. Measles, for example, can lead to pneumonia or an infection of the brain and can cause death. Mumps can cause an infection in the lining of the brain and death.

To help inform parents about the benefits and risks of vaccines, the American Academy of Pediatrics has developed brochures that are distributed by pediatricians. Vaccine information can also be obtained on the AAP web site: www.aap.org. Parents should also talk to their pediatrician.

The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 55,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists, and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults.

American Academy of Pediatrics
Department of Federal Affairs
601 13th Street, NW
Suite 400 North
Washington, DC 20005